Conversations Podcast

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190.3K - 317.2K listeners Female 4.4 rating 12687 reviews 227 episodes Australia
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30s Ad: $5,582 - $6,344 60s Ad: $6,597 - $7,358 CPM Category: Society & Culture
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Conversations draws you deeper into the life story of someone you may have heard about, but never met. Journey into their world, joining them on epic adventures to unfamiliar places, back in time to wild moments of history, and into their deepest memories, to be moved by personal stories of resilience and redemption.

Hosted by Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski, Conversations is the ABC's most popular long-form interview program. Every day we explore the vast tapestry of human experience, weaving together narratives from history, science, art, and personal storytelling.

Conversations Live is coming to the stage! Join Sarah Kanowski and Richard Fidler for an unmissable night of unforgettable stories, behind-the-scenes secrets, and surprise guests. Australia’s most-loved podcast — live, up close, and in the moment. Find out more at the Conversations website.

Producers, Hosts, and Production Team

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Emails, Phones, and Addresses

Contact Page Emails

Emails
Phone Numbers
  • ABC National Switchboard telephone number: 13 99 94
  • Talkback for Australia All Over - with Macca: 13 00 70 02 22
  • Talkback for Nightlife - with Philip Clark and Suzanne Hill: 13 00 80 02 22
  • Talkback for Overnights - with Rod Quinn and Michael Pavlich: 13 00 80 02 22
  • Talkback for Weekend Evenings - with Christine Anu and Sirine Demachkie: 13 00 80 02 22
  • Talkback for ABC NewsRadio (Life Matters on Fridays only): 13 00 22 55 76
  • Talkback for triple j: 13 00 05 55 36
  • Talkback for ABC Radio Adelaide: 13 00 22 28 91
  • Talkback for ABC Radio Brisbane: 13 00 22 26 12
  • Talkback for ABC Radio Canberra: 13 00 68 16 66
  • Talkback for ABC Radio Darwin: 13 00 05 72 22
  • Talkback for ABC Radio Hobart: 13 00 22 29 36
  • Talkback for ABC Radio Melbourne: 13 00 22 27 74
  • Talkback for ABC Radio Perth: 13 00 70 07 20
  • Talkback for ABC Radio Sydney: 13 00 22 27 02
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  • General feedback or complaints: Australian Broadcasting Corporation, GPO Box 9994, Sydney NSW 2001
  • Local ABC Radio station: ABC Radio Adelaide: 85 North East Road, Collinswood SA 5081
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  • Local ABC Radio station: ABC Alice Springs: Cnr Gap Road and Speed Street, Alice Springs NT 0870
  • Local ABC Radio station: ABC Ballarat: 5 Dawson Street South, Ballarat VIC 3350
  • Local ABC Radio station: ABC South East NSW: Unit 1, First Floor, The Roy Howard Building, Ayers Walkway, 184 Carp Street, Bega NSW 2550
  • Local ABC Radio station: ABC Radio Brisbane: 114 Grey Street, South Brisbane QLD 4101
  • Local ABC Radio station: ABC Radio Darwin: 1 Cavenagh Street, Darwin NT 0800
  • Local ABC Radio station: ABC Radio Hobart: ABC Centre, 1-7 Liverpool Street, Hobart TAS 7001
  • Local ABC Radio station: ABC Radio Melbourne: ABC Southbank Centre, 120 Southbank Boulevard, Southbank VIC 3006
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  • Local ABC Radio station: ABC Radio Sydney: ABC Ultimo Centre, 700 Harris Street, Ultimo NSW 2007
Form

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Externally Sourced Emails

  • an***@acu.edu

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Recent Hosts, Guests & Topics

Here's a quick summary of the last 5 episodes on Conversations.

Hosts

Previous Guests

Ione Skye is a Gen X actor known for her roles in Hollywood films during the 1990s. She has starred alongside actors like River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, and John Cusack. She has a background of early start in acting and modelling, and has experienced a tumultuous personal life involving relationships with Anthony Keidis and Adam Horovitz. Currently, she is married to Australian musician Ben Lee and has two daughters.
Hugh White is a defence analyst and author known for his expertise on Australian security and foreign policy. He has written extensively on the shifting global power dynamics and Australia's strategic position in a changing world.
Graeme Stockdale is a chef and restaurant owner in Lismore, NSW. He survived two major floods and is known for his work feeding his community during times of crisis. He authored the cookbook 'Red Hot & Smokin!' in 2019.
Dr Jayashri Kulkarni is a psychiatrist and researcher known for her groundbreaking work on women's hormones and mental health. She has contributed significantly to understanding the relationship between hormonal health and mental well-being, helping women worldwide.
Cheng Lei is a Chinese-Australian journalist who was detained in China for over three years on espionage charges. She is known for her resilience and her story of survival and eventual release, and has authored 'Cheng Lei: A Memoir of Freedom'.

YouTube Channel

Channel Info

ABC Australia
@abcaustralia

Channel Stats

Subscribers: 320,000
Total Videos: 4,390
Total Views: 100,254,281
Joined: May 28, 2007
Location: Australia

Description

Each day, ABC Australia, brings you stories about the people, places, wildlife and issues that make up our country. We bring you stories, conversations, explainers and help you explore our nation from your home.

The ABC is the independent source of Australian stories, conversations and culture. You can find more great content on our website http://www.abc.net.au.

International audiences can watch our programming via the free ABC Australia iview app by downloading outside Australia only through Google Play https://ab.co/2q6T0YI and the App Store https://ab.co/2JvmZ3K.

Australian audiences can watch our programming on www.abc.net.au/iview

Content may be moderated as per the ABC Online Terms of Use: http://about.abc.net.au/terms-of-use/ 

We ask users to keep in mind the ABC House Rules: http://about.abc.net.au/house-rules/

Users who break these house rules may be hidden from the channel, as per the ABC Online Terms of Use.

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Instagram

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Biography

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Episodes

Here's the recent few episodes on Conversations.

0:00 46:30

Ione Skye on surrendering her past and forgiving herself

Hosts
Richard Fidler Sarah Kanowski
Guests
Ione Skye
Keywords
absent fathers epic life stories personal stories cheating divorce relationship breakdowns inappropriate relationships age gap relationships intimacy therapy Hollywood substance abuse modelling child actors acting

The Gen X actor on making peace with her absent father, the ghosts of her Hollywood past and nursing Anthony Keidis through his drug addiction while she was still a teenager a relationship she shudders at today.

The 1990s It girl was named for the Scottish island where she was conceived, before her enigmatic folk singer father, Donovan abandoned the family before she was born.

A string of stepfathers couldnt remedy Ione's fundamental abandonment and she grew up surrounded by creative types who flowed freely through her mothers house in Los Angeles.

Following her beloved older brother into the world of acting and modelling, Ione had an early start in Hollywood and it led her to a full, messy life in which she starred alongside the likes of River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves and John Cusack.

When she was only a teenager, she began a relationship with Anthony Keidis, the lead singer of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, who was addicted to heroin.

This dysfunctional relationship led to Iones marriage to the first great love of her life, Adam Horovitz of The Beastie Boys, and a period of time she describes as her 90s daydream.

This happy period devolved as Ione joyfully and remorsefully explored her bisexuality and the infidelity eventually ended the marriage.

Today Ione is happily married to Australian musician, Ben Lee and has two daughters.

Further information

Say Everything is published by HarperCollins.

Find out more about Ione Skye and Ben Lees creative project,Weirder Together.

Conversations Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.

Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.

This episode of Conversations deals with absent fathers, epic life stories, personal stories, cheating, divorce, relationship breakdowns, inappropriate relationships, age gap relationships, intimacy, therapy, Hollywood, Ad-Rock, partying, substance abuse, modelling, child actors and acting.

0:00 52:00

Our post-American future what will the new world order look like?

Hosts
Richard Fidler Sarah Kanowski
Guests
Hugh White
Keywords
post-American world global power shift Australia defense AUKUS Ukraine war pandemic Donald Trump China United States Nuclear war Russian expansionism Ukraine Putin Elon Musk Los Angeles protests riots political landscape ANZUS Asia-Pacific

Defence analyst Hugh White says Australian leaders are in denial about how dramatically the world has changed, and need to get a grip on the deep, troubling forces propelling us into a new order of world power.

The balance of global power has changed dramatically over the last 25 years.

Even in the last five years, so much has happened - the pandemic, AUKUS, the war in Ukraine, a change of government here in Australia, Donald Trump's return to the White House, and all the tumult that has followed over the past six months.

According to defence analyst Hugh White, we are quickly heading into a post-American world.

However, Australia's defence assumptions remain based on a world which America built for us, where the United States is still a predominant world power that is heavily invested in Asia, and in us.

Hugh says political leaders in Australia are in denial about all of this, and need to get their heads out of the sand, accept the the world as we knew it is passing away, and redefine our relationships with powerful nations including the United States and China in order to make our way in this new world.

We've done it before, with the United Kingdom in the post-World War II years, and we need to do it again, Hugh says.

Further information

You can read Hugh White's essay, Hard New World: Our Post-American Future, in the June issue of the Quarterly Essay.

If you're interested in more episodes like this one, have a listen to Richard's recent conversation with Marcel Dirsus about tyrants and dictators on the ABC Listen App, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.

Conversations' Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. This episode was produced by Jennifer Leake and presented by Richard Fidler.

This episode of Conversations explores nuclear war, Russian expansionism, Ukraine, Putin, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Los Angeles protests, riots, political landscape, Lauren Tomasi, ANZUS, Asia-Pacific, Xi Jinping, Taiwan, invasion, California, the decline of the West, National Guard, law enforcement, ICE.

0:00 48:06

The pyromaniac kid who made barbecue his life

Hosts
Richard Fidler Sarah Kanowski
Guests
Graeme Stockdale
Keywords
fire barbecue floods food cooking restaurant Lismore floods mental health adventure origin stories

As a child, chef Graeme Stockdale was embarrassed by the smell of sauerkraut and pickles that would trail him from his Polish and German grandparents' home. A transformative encounter with a barbecued duck in Singapore changed his life, though nothing would prepare him for two monumental floods in his adopted region of Lismore, NSW.

Graeme was only a boy when he was introduced to the power and ferocity of fire.

As a nine-year-old living in Albany, Western Australia he lit a fire out of curiosity on a neighbour's property.

It was the look on his mother's face that turned his experience from awesome into terrifying.

Graham grew up with the flavours of his grandparents' German and Polish ancestry, raised by a single mum, and experienced social isolation brought on by the judgement of kids at school.

After the barbecued duck experience, his whole world became focused on food, and he eventually opened his own restaurant in Lismore, NSW.

Graeme survived two major floods, and in the aftermath, cooked on his barbecue non-stop for weeks, outside his ruined restaurant, feeding his community with help from volunteers.

Further information

Read more about Graeme's restaurant in Lismore, The Stockpot Kitchen.

Graeme's cookbook, Red Hot & Smokin! was published by New Holland Publishers in 2019.

Conversations' Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan.

Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.

This episode of Conversations deals with mental health, fire, barbecue, murder, epic life stories, origin stories, sauerkraut, Singapore barbecued duck, the Albany Snake Run, cooking, restaurants, feeding, single mum, aged care, aged care mistreatment, Lismore floods, adventure, vocation.

0:00 52:16

Hormones and mental health with Dr Jayashri Kulkarni

Hosts
Sarah Kanowski Richard Fidler
Guests
Dr Jayashri Kulkarni
Keywords
hormones mental health women's health menopause perimenopause hormonal health female medical research migration studying medicine depression anxiety gut health doctor-patient communication gender stereotypes underrepresentation in medical research gaslighting in women's health women's pain motherhood stress psychiatry reproductive health hormonal birth control

Dr Jayashri Kulkarni on her Indian-Australian upbringing and her groundbreaking research into women's hormones and mental health (R)

Jayashri Kulkarni’s family moved from India to Australia in 1961.

They found there were no Indian grocery stores, few spices of any kind, and plain yoghurt wasn’t available.

But the Kulkarnis adapted to their new home, teaching their neighbours how to cook Indian food, and encouraging Jayashri's love for studying.

Jayashri became a doctor, and during her training as a psychiatrist she became fascinated by the relationship between women's hormones and mental health.

She’s since been at the frontline of groundbreaking research, which challenged many of her colleagues and ended up helping women all over the world.

Further information

First broadcast in February 2024.

Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.

Conversations' Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. This episode was produced by Tamar Cranswick and presented by Sarah Kanowski.

It explores female health, medical research, menopause, perimenopause, hormonal health, female medical research, migration, studying medicine, depression, anxiety, gut health, why don't doctors listen to women, gender stereotypes, underrepresentation in medical research, gaslighting in women's health, women's pain, motherhood, stress, psychiatry, reproductive health, hormonal birth control.

0:00 48:06

Part TWO: Locked up in China — Cheng Lei on cell mates, singing and survival

Hosts
Richard Fidler Sarah Kanowski
Guests
Cheng Lei
Keywords
detention in China Cheng Lei espionage charges solitary confinement cell mates singing in prison survival Australian journalist prison bonding covert communication release and reunion Chinese Communist Party propaganda paranoia state security system

Cheng Lei's years in detention in China, on trumped-up espionage charges, go from cruel and isolating, to absurd and romantic when she gets moved into a cell with three other women.

The Chinese-Australian journalist was held in detention in China for more than three years, accused of selling state secrets to foreign people and powers.

In episode one of this two-part series, Lei explained how the charges hinged on a document that was read out publicly on television, and how she survived the cruelty of interrogations and being kept in isolation.

In this episode, Lei's details how her experience of detention changed as she moved out of solitary confinement, but still under lock and key with three other women.

In cell 112, Lei and the other women sang songs when the guards weren't watching, they fought, they bonded and they communicated secretly with the prisoners in a cell next door.

The knocking, for which Lei was punished, climaxed in a covert proposal.

Eventually, Lei saw sunlight again. 

With the help of the Australian Government, she was released and flown back home to Melbourne, where she was reunited with her children (now teenagers), rebuilt her life and can be publicly critical of the paranoid and image-conscious state security system that locked her behind bars for years.

Further information

Listen to the first part of Richard's extraordinary conversation with Cheng Lei here.

Cheng Lei: A Memoir of Freedom is published by HarperCollins.

Cheng Lei: My Story is a documentary made by Sky News Australia. It is available to stream at SkyNews.com.au.

Conversations' Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. This episode was produced by Meggie Morris.

Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.

This episode of Conversations explores CCP, Covid, propaganda, communism, paranoia, Marise Payne, Scott Morrison, family separation, career changes, jail, justice system, Chinese Communist Party, embassy, diplomatic relations, CCTV, state broadcaster, media, television, news anchor, single mothers, trade, tariffs, books, writing, motherhood, parenting, Tiananmen Square, personal stories, origin.

Ratings

Global:
4.4 rating 12687 reviews

Australia

4.4 ratings 12000 reviews

USA

4.5 ratings 209 reviews

New Zealand

4.4 ratings 195 reviews

UK

4.7 ratings 180 reviews

Canada

4.3 ratings 58 reviews

Ireland

4.6 ratings 25 reviews

South Africa

4.1 ratings 12 reviews

Singapore

5.0 ratings 8 reviews