Under The Gloss with Phoebe Burgess

The news is exhausting. So we made a podcast that isn’t. Unserious brings together three journalists who rarely agree on anything to unpack the week’s biggest stories, smallest controversies and most terminally online debates. Expect smart conversations. Dumb arguments. And immaculate vibes. Subscribe now, or find us on YouTube See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Producers are often the people that work in the background; we don't know their names, and they're hidden behind the star power of their directors, or their cast. But Bruna Papandrea brings all the star power of her own.  After all, she co-founded a production company with Reese Witherspoon and produced blockbuster productions like Big Little Lies and Gone Girl, and then five years later she launc...

Lucia Hawley is only 25, but she's already the host of 7Bravo and face of Live From E ! - taking centre stage as a journalist on the red carpet and nabbing some of the best quotes from the stars. But while she admits it did take a lot of hard work to get here, she credits the powerful women in her life with 'lifting her up' - something that she is constantly trying to do in her own right. It's no...

Bella Heathcote has been working as an actress for almost two decades, but it's only now that she has found confidence in her craft. On this episode of Under The Gloss, Phoebe and Bella sit down for a conversation that covers everything from the role tall poppy syndrome has played in Bella's career to how the death of her mother when she was 12 continues to influence her characters, more than 20 y...

For a woman who died at just 70 years old, Lee Miller seems to have squeezed a hundred different lives into one lifetime. After all, who else could say that they had been pulled from the path of a car by Condé Nast himself, modelled across the pages of Vogue, studied photography and collaborated with famous surrealist Man Ray in Paris, as well as becoming one of the first and only female frontline...

Michelle Battersby is, by her own admission, a career girl. After flying through uni on a rowing scholarship, she got a “good” job at an esteemed company - but at 24, after doing everything “right”, she wasn't happy. And so she took a leap of faith, and started working with an app that, at the time, was very new to Australia - Bumble. The rest, as they say, is history.  In 2023, Michelle is the co...

Ellie Goldstein has been modelling since she was 15, when she went to a casting in London for inclusive talent agency Zebedee. And from the moment she stepped in front of the camera it was clear she had the IT factor. And now, only six years later, she’s made history as the first model with Downes Syndrome to appear on the cover of British Vogue - a feat that many models would consider to be the p...

In 2012, Erin Deering and then-partner Craig launched a business that would become one of the most iconic bikini brands in the world. Instagram was just beginning and Erin had a brainwave: why not gift some of their product to up-and-coming celebrities on the platform, and see if that boosted the profile of the brand? And not long after, Triangl bikinis exploded - and a new age of marketing was bo...

Amber Scott fell in love with dancing at five years old, when she watched Swan Lake performed at Brisbane's Lyric Theatre. She joined the Australian Ballet in 2001 and 23 years on, she's preparing for her final performance, or her swansong - and in a full circle moment, she will be dancing as Odette.  On this episode of Under The Gloss, Amber joins Phoebe to share some backstage secrets about life...

Brisbane journalist Trent Dalton is no stranger to the power of storytelling in Australia, and he's got a suite of Walkleys and Kennedys to prove it. But when he published his first fictional novel in 2018, even he was blown away by it's success. Boy Swallows Universe has sold millions of copies and there is a Netflix series in the works - and it's been followed up by three more books that similar...

Claire Harvey is a journalist at The Australian, and she is the woman behind all your favourite podcasts. She was an integral part of the team that produced The Teacher's Trial and The Teacher's Accuser (follow-ups to the world-renowned The Teacher's Pet), and she has also been an editorial director on other harrowing podcasts out of The Australian, like Shandees Story and My Sisters Secret. And t...

It was nearly thirty years ago when Australia fell in love with the teenage tennis prodigy that was Jelena Dokic. In 1999, Jelena was 16 years old and dominating Wimbledon - but behind the scenes, she was living a personal hell at the hands of her father.  It took the best part of two decades for Jelena to tell her story, but in 2016 she released Unbreakable , which became an instant best seller....

While just a few short years ago, Hannah Diviney was drinking in the world of celebrity, pop culture and social justice online, she never imagined that she might be at the centre of it. But in 2023, Hannah is one of the most powerful voices in disability advocacy and has more than a few claims to fame; she's the editor-in-chief of a fast-growing media technology company, she's persuaded two intern...

Founder and director of streetwear juggernaut P.E. Nation, Pip Edwards has been a staple in the Sydney style scene for decades.  On this episode of Under The Gloss, Phoebe and Pip sit down for a classically chaotic conversation that covers everything from Pip's experiences of early menopause and raising the 'ultimate' man, to the frustration that comes with being defined by your dating life.  In a...

Kaylee McKeown knows a thing or two about winning. At just 22 years old, the Australian swimmer currently holds multiple world records, took home three gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics and is the proud recipient of an OAM, which she was awarded in 2022.  In this episode of Under the Gloss, Kaylee and Phoebe dive into what it means to represent your country on a global scale, the mentorship she ha...

Jess Mauboy first appeared on Australian Idol in 2006, as a young 16-year-old belting out Whitney Houston in the red dirt of Alice Springs. Nearly two decades late, her star has never stopped soaring; Jess is about to return to our screens as a coach on this season of The Voice Australia, before she drops her fifth studio album and embarks on a national tour in early 2024.  On this episode of Unde...

Consent education has quickly become one of the biggest conversations in Australia, and Jess Hill has been right at the forefront. The critically acclaimed author and journalist co-produced the brilliant SBS series Asking For It, which investigates the complexities of consent in Australia at the moment as the country is gripped by what she calls an 'epidemic' of sexual violence.  In this episode o...

When Tammin Sursok goes to the movies in the US, she's not thinking about the film - she's thinking about her closest exit in case there is a shooting. When her kids go to school, they use bulletproof backpacks. They even wear velcro shoes so they don't trip if they have to run away from a shooter. It's the terrifying reality of life in America, where she spends half her time when she's not in Aus...

Tammin Sursok lives by her hormones, regularly goes to therapy so her marriage thrives and is dealing with the trauma that came with being famous so young. The actress joined Phoebe Burgess to chat about everything. Sex. Marriage. ADHD. Fame. Disordered Eating. Trauma. Nothing was off limits. TRIGGER WARNING: This episode may be distressing to some listeners. We will be discussing disordered eatin...

Nina Funnell is many things, but gamechanging journalist is the hat she wears most proudly. In this two part conversation, Nina discusses working with Grace Tame, and how she helped change the system for the better while reflecting on her own experience with sexual violence.    Trigger warning: This episode may be distressing to some listeners . We will be discussing sexual violence, so please lis...

Nina Funnell is many things, but gamechanging journalist is the hat she wears most proudly. In this two part conversation, Nina discusses working with Grace Tame, and how she helped change the system for the better while reflecting on her own experience with sexual violence.  Trigger warning: This episode may be distressing to some listeners . We will be discussing sexual violence, so please liste...

The little football-mad girl inside Mel McLaughlin is losing her mind. The sports presenter is embarking on the biggest moment of her career - the FIFA Women's World Cup, which has kicked off in Australia.  In this episode of Under The Gloss, Mel joins Phoebe to talk about how she became one of the country's leading sports broadcasters, the moment a boss told her she was wearing too much blush, an...

Fresh off the back of a Logies nomination for her television show The Twelve, Marta Dusseldorp is embarking on a new project. She wrote, starred in and produced Bay of Fires, a series soon to debut on ABC that tells a story unlike any that we have seen in Australia before. On this episode of Under the Gloss, Marta joins Phoebe in the studio to talk about daring to fail, the role that mentorship ha...

Kirli Saunders is many things: she's a multi-award winning artist, she's walked the runways of Australian Afterpay Fashion Week and she's a celebrated educator that has taught children in classrooms around New South Wales. But first and foremost, she's a proud Gunai woman - and a storyteller.  On today's episode of Under the Gloss, Phoebe and Kirli are talking about how she learned to connect with...

It's no secret that Sex And The City was iconic in the world of fashion - and the series spinoff And Just Like That has followed in the same vein. But who are the people behind the scenes that have brought all the looks in the iconic franchise to life?  In this episode of Under The Gloss, Phoebe sits down with costume designers Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago to talk about some of the most notable...