Top of Their Game

Meet  Torunn Reksten : an advocate, lecturer, and plain language expert at the Language Council of Norway.  In this episode, Torunn reflects on her work on the Norwegian Language Act and ISO plain language standards. We also explore the roles user experience, innovation, and minority language preservation play in making Norway a global leader in clear public communication.  Learn more about Torunn...

Meet  Nadja Green : a plain language content developer, researcher, and strategist based in Johannesburg, South Africa.  In this episode, Nadja reflects on the challenges of persuading South African business and government that plain language is a strategic priority, not just a stylistic preference. She also discusses South Africa’s remarkable post-apartheid constitutional process, where plain lan...

Meet  Dr Anthony Fauci : a physician, scientist, and one of the most influential public health leaders of our time.  He advised 7 US presidents and shaped the national and global responses to HIV/AIDS and COVID-19. Few people have navigated crisis, uncertainty, and public scrutiny on this scale.  In this episode, Anthony reflects on a lifetime at the center of infectious disease response. And what...

Meet the Hon.  Michael Kirby : former High Court justice, human rights champion, and one of Australia’s most compelling legal voices.  From shaping landmark decisions on the High Court of Australia to championing plain English long before it was fashionable, Michael shares why clarity in communication isn’t just good practice, it’s a matter of justice, fairness, and humanity. A sharp, deeply thoug...

Meet Dr. Helen Keleher : a leading voice in public health who’s spent her career tackling some of society’s most complex, and urgent, health challenges.  An Adjunct Professor at Monash University and Life Member of the Public Health Association of Australia, Helen brings deep expertise in health equity, prevention, and population health. From shaping strategy to influencing generations through her...

Meet  Jamila Savoy : an emerging leader in the world of plain language advocacy.  As co-founder of Plain Language Matters, Jamila helps organizations communicate clearly; from simplifying complex policy to shaping public health messages and coaching teams to write with confidence and purpose. In this episode, she shares how her passion for plain language began, how she convinced the Victorian Gove...

Meet  Laureate Professor Peter Doherty : Nobel Prize winner, scientific heavyweight, and master communicator.  From a discovery that transformed modern medicine to decades as a trusted public voice on pandemics, climate change, and science itself, Peter shares what it takes to communicate complex ideas with clarity, credibility, and impact. A big-brain conversation with one of the world’s best.  L...

Meet  Dr Annetta Cheek : a true trailblazer of the plain language movement.  After 25 years as a federal employee, Annetta saw firsthand how badly government communication was failing the people it was meant to serve. From chairing PLAIN, the federal interagency plain language group, to serving as chief plain language expert on Vice President Al Gore’s National Partnership for Reinventing Governme...

Meet Prof. Joe Kimble — a true legend of plain-language legal writing. After 35 years teaching legal writing at Cooley Law School, helping draft the US Federal Rules of Evidence and Civil Procedure, and authoring three landmark books, Joe has spent a career proving that the law can be clear, human and accessible. In our very first episode, Joe shares how he found plain language, the lessons he’s l...