Conversations

ABC Australia

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.

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2,000 episodes
Updated Yesterday

Episodes2000

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Oct 9, 2025 · 51 min
How a heroine of Singapore survived jail and torture in WWII
Historian Tom Trumble tells the story of the cunning World War II Australian sabotage mission known as Operation Jaywick, and how two survivors outsmarted the Imperial Japanese Army police, the Kempeh Tai. Deep in the years of World War II, Australian commandos in the Pacific theatre executed a cunning plan to sneak up on Japanese warships in the occupied Singapore Harbour. They managed to get away with an incredible operation, but in doing so, triggered intense paranoia and embarrassment for
Oct 8, 2025 · 53 min
The unlikely outback publican of the 'Taj Mahal of the Warrego’
Fran Harding was a stay-at-home mother of eight children when her pharmacist husband came home one night with the news that the family were moving to Charleville in Western Queensland to run a pub. Gordan had spontaneously leased a pub, and Fran was to be its new publican. So, with their kids in tow (including a little baby), they set off. Fran set up her sewing machine behind the bar and did her best to work out how to pull beers, understand what the locals were saying and keep tabs on her b
Oct 7, 2025 · 51 min
Journeying to the Hadal Zone in a two-man submarine
Dr Todd Bond is marine ecologist who goes where very few humans have ever been: the underworld, or the deep ocean. There, he studies the strange, scary and often cute creatures who call the deepest parts of our oceans home. This part of the ocean starts at 6000 metres deep, and is known as the 'Hadal Zone'. Todd travels there in a small titanium submersible, not much bigger than his own 6'4'' frame. Waiting there for Todd, in the inky darkness, is mysterious and magic, and is still largely un
Oct 2, 2025 · 49 min
Remembering Dr Jane Goodall's science and her humanity
Jane Goodall, the renowned conservationist and pioneer of groundbreaking chimpanzee field research, has died of natural causes at the age of 91. Jane lived an utterly remarkable life, and her discoveries revolutionised science. She was only 26 years old when she first visited Tanzania to begin her research on chimpanzees in the wild Before Jane went to Africa we knew very little about chimpanzees, despite the fact that they're our closest cousins. It's only because of Jane’s research and obs
Oct 2, 2025 · 52 min
Why you should empower your children to know their human rights
Lawyer Paula Gerber on the human rights of the most endangered group of people in any community - its children. They are open to the most predatory forms of exploitation simply because they don't have the worldliness of adults, and must rely on trust and goodwill. When Paula Gerber was growing up in suburban Brisbane, she didn’t spend her weekends at the pool or playing cricket with her dad. Quality time with her father meant visiting his clients with him in the local jail or mental instituti
Oct 1, 2025 · 52 min
Paul Field – The Wiggles, Red Nose Day and baby Bernadette
Musician Paul Field on grieving the death of his baby girl, Bernadette, and how she inspired his family band, The Wiggles, to bring joy into the lives of millions of children. CW: This episode of Conversations discusses the death of a child. Paul Field was on tour in Queensland with his band, the Cockroaches, when he received a call that would alter his life forever. His 7-month-old baby daughter, Bernadette, had unexpectedly died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Paul and his wife, Pau
Sep 30, 2025 · 52 min
When my parachute failed: How I survived a fall from 15,000 feet
When Brad Guy went skydiving in his early 20s, his whole family was there to watch. But when Brad jumped out of the plane strapped to his instructor, the parachute, and the backup chute both failed to open. The pair plunged to the ground at 80km an hour, and miraculously both survived. The fall was terrifying, but recovery is what scared Brad the most. Despite hitting the ground at around 80kmph, they both survived, but from the first night in hospital Brad started experiencing debilitating ni
Sep 26, 2025 · 52 min
Encore: Psychotherapist Philippa Perry says yes to feelings
Phillipa Perry grew in England and as a teenager went to a finishing school in Switzerland where she learnt to ski and speak in a posh accent. But instead of joining the aristocracy she worked as debt collector, a manager at McDonalds and eventually a psychotherapist. Later she married the celebrated artist Grayson Perry, who is famous for his cross-dressing. Philippa says the key to raising children is acknowledging feelings – the good, the bad, and the ugly. Her best selling parenting book
Sep 25, 2025 · 51 min
What caring for the dying taught Bronnie Ware about living
Bronnie Ware was recovering from burnout when she wrote a blog post reflecting on years working as a palliative carer and the epiphanies patients shared with her as they faced death. It was read by millions and became the basis of her best-selling book, The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying. And the lessons Bronnie learnt from her dying patients also helped her confront some darker elements of her childhood and eventually find peace. The book has become a touchstone for many people all over the worl
Sep 24, 2025 · 52 min
My father Bryce Courtenay: the charming, charismatic, compulsive liar
To Australia he was a genius adman and best-selling author but behind closed doors Bryce Courtenay was a deeply flawed husband and father. His son, Adam, has tried to make sense of the lies, the ego and the heartbreak. When Adam Courtenay was growing up, he saw his dad Bryce as a hero. Bryce worked in advertising so he knew all the latest, coolest trends, and at bedtime, Bryce told Adam and his brothers amazing stories about his life in South Africa and the Courtenay family’s noble origins. W
Sep 23, 2025 · 53 min
How this journalist took on a war criminal and won
In 2017, journalist Nick McKenzie heard rumours of executions and cover-ups inside Australia’s most elite military unit. For the next eight years, Nick waged an epic battle for the truth to be acknowledged about Ben Roberts-Smith VC. Along with his colleague Chris Masters, Nick began an investigation which hinged on Australia’s most famous, and most decorated living soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith, who served in the Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) from 2003 - 2013. By following the story, they w
Sep 19, 2025 · 50 min
Encore: Paralympian Christie Dawes is super/normal
Christie took up wheelchair racing as a child as part of her rehab after a car crash left her with paraplegia. Sometimes dangerous and always thrilling, the sport helped to restore her sense of self and Christie went on to compete in seven Paralympic Games. But she almost gave up one of her events, the marathon, after a terrifying experience in Boston in 2013. Christie manages to split her time training for races, holding down several jobs, and raising her family. Further information If
Sep 18, 2025 · 52 min
How I went from being a pregnant, homeless teenager to running a BHP mining merger
Claire Parkinson is the daughter of a long-distance lorry driver and her first job was cleaning the urinals at her local Suffolk factory. A stint as a prison officer set her up with stability and responsibility, then she was assigned to protect a notorious murderer. Content warning: this episode contains strong language. As a child, Claire was the apple of her father’s eye and when she got pregnant unexpectedly while a teenager, he could not speak to her at all and the two fell out. Claire b
Sep 17, 2025 · 52 min
265 days alone at sea — the young boat builder who rowed across the Pacific
Tom Robinson was a 14-year-old living in the Brisbane suburbs when he made a promise to himself to become the youngest person ever to row across the Pacific Ocean. Nine years later Tom set off from Peru bound for Australia without a support crew and limited communication. Tom navigated by the stars, made eye contact with a shark and rowed up to 15 hours a day when strong currents pushed him off course. And when his adventure ended, it was in a completely unexpected by perfect way. Read more
Sep 16, 2025 · 51 min
The secret lives of diplomats: surviving 'bomb season' in Jakarta
Diplomat Grant Dooley was inside the Australian Embassy building in Indonesia when a bomb went off, killing several people. This was just the beginning of a series of devastating events that Grant had to come to terms with years after moving back home to Australia. In 2004, Grant Dooley and his wife, Kristan, moved to Jakarta with their two young children to start a three-year posting at the Australian Embassy. In September of that year, Grant arrived at the embassy complex for a brief visit.
Sep 12, 2025 · 13 min
Conversations Live podcast extra: Mel Buttle
Sarah and Richard give you a sneak peek behind the scenes of the now complete Conversations Live Tour, Brisbane edition. Comedian, Mel Buttle was one of the special guests who appeared on stage to share some photos close to her heart, and the stories attached to them. Further information To see Mel's photos for yourself, head to the ABC Conversations Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/abcconvos/ To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sar
Sep 12, 2025 · 52 min
Encore: Candice Fox—How to raise a crime writer
As a child, Candice Fox knew her family wasn't what most people would consider normal. Their Christmas included lunch at Long Bay jail, where her father worked (R). At home, Candice's mother Ocean was busy rescuing lost people, injured native animals, and bringing home odd things from the council clean-up. In one 5-year period, Ocean fostered more than 140 children. To escape the chaos of home, Candice would immerse herself in her mum's collection of illustrated true crime stories. Then she
Sep 11, 2025 · 51 min
When Dr Tottman had to run towards her life
Dr Charlotte Tottman is a clinical psychologist who specialises in supporting cancer patients. Both her parents had died young from different cancers, so Charlotte always joked she would be next. In 2018, it wasn't a joke anymore. While on a beach holiday, Charlotte found a lump in her breast. When she got her own cancer diagnosis, all of Charlotte’s skills as a psychologist went out the window. She was scared, and angry, and determined to keep going rather than letting herself rest. After f
Sep 10, 2025 · 52 min
Life after menopause, divorce and loss—How this mountaineer started all over again
A few years ago, after a series of crisis after crisis after crisis, Allie Pepper thought she would have to give up high-altitude mountain climbing. This is how she got her groove back. Record-breaking mountaineer, Allie Pepper, is currently in the middle of a project to become the first and fastest woman to climb the world’s 14 tallest mountains – those over 8000m – without the use of oxygen. But just a few years ago, Allie nearly gave up climbing all together after a trifecta of mid-life cri
Sep 9, 2025 · 51 min
Why Dr Ranjana Srivastava tells the whole truth about cancer
Doctors often use euphemisms to dance around the 'C' word. But for oncologist Dr Ranjana Srivastava, how you talk to someone with cancer goes beyond "shadows, lumps and lesions". It's all about compassion and clarity, even when honesty is difficult. Ranjana Srivastava was a young doctor in regional Australia, accompanying her consultant on his late night rounds when she heard a patient say something that stopped Ranjana in her tracks. It was in that moment that she finally knew what her specia