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Heart & Soul with David Leser

Shark Island Sessions

Heart & Soul begins with the simple belief that beneath our opinions, accomplishments and public identities, there is an inner life asking to be heard.

At a time of profound uncertainty and rapid change, Heart & Soul offers a place for spacious, thoughtful conversation with people who have deeply impacted our lives, as well as an opportunity to reflect more deeply on what it means to be human.

A series of conversations with journalist and author David Leser, that delve deeply into some of the themes crying out for our attention, not the least being how to find empathy in an age of outrage.

These will be unhurried conversations. No real agenda. No fixed destination. Simply a shared willingness to get curious, to speak honestly and to listen deeply.

These intimate conversations are filmed and recorded in front of a small, invited audience at The Old Store in Kangaroo Valley, NSW AUSTRALIA.

Play
  • 7 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 1 hr 12 min
  • English
  • October 5 · 1 hr 24 min· Video

    Geraldine Brooks: Grief is the Debt that is Paid to Love

    HEART & SOUL with DAVID LESER Ep 6 Geraldine Brooks: Grief is the Debt that is Paid to Love Having travelled the world covering conflict zones, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Geraldine Brooks turned her considerable observation skills to novel writing after deciding to become a mother whilst in a Nigerian prison. When her husband, an acclaimed journalist himself, died suddenly on a book tour, she had to entirely re-frame her life, as well as meet the looming deadline for her bestselling novel

  • September 28 · 1 hr 23 min· Video

    Deborah Thomas: Do You want the Cash or the Caché?

    HEART & SOUL with DAVID LESER Ep 5 Deborah Thomas: Do You Want the Cash or the Caché? Deborah Thomas’s career in fashion and media started in the dress-ups of her teen years, took her through the punk scene of Melbourne and onto the catwalks of Europe, before she became known Australia-wide as the Editor in Chief of Australian Women’s Weekly. She opens up about her stellar media career, then becoming a female CEO in a male dominated industry, and the later career heartbreak of the Dreamworld the

  • S1 · E4
    September 21 · 1 hr 39 min· Video

    Rob Hirst: The Final Interview

    HEART & SOUL with DAVID LESER Ep 4 Rob Hirst: The Final Interview Recorded just months before his death in January 2026, Midnight Oil co-founder, drummer and songwriter Rob Hirst joins his close friend David Leser for one of his final filmed interviews. In a candid, generous and deeply moving conversation, Rob reflects on his childhood, his early love of The Beatles, the profound influence of his parents, his creative partnership with his Midnight Oil “blood brothers”, and his enduring passion f

  • #3
    September 6 · 1 hr 18 min· Video

    Jennifer Byrne: When Mother Breaks the Rules there’s No Stopping You

    HEART & SOUL with DAVID LESER  Ep 3 Jennifer Byrne: When Mother Breaks the Rules There’s No Stopping You  Starting her career in journalism at sixteen, Jennifer Byrne broke the mould of what women in her family were expected to do in life. Stories from a privileged childhood, a devastating family scandal, the Packer media empire and journalism in its heyday, Jennifer also opens up about falling in love on the phone and the joys of travel — even to outer space. About the guest  Jennifer Byrne is

  • S1 · E3
    August 31 · 1 hr 20 min· Video

    Ben Quilty: Problems to Solve — not People to Kill

    HEART & SOUL with DAVID LESER Ep 2 Ben Quilty: Problems to Solve, Not People to Kill Ben Quilty on love, masculinity, anxiety and the power of kindness. This wide-ranging conversation delves into the art and passions of Ben Quilty, also his friendship with Bali Nine prisoner-turned-artist Myuran Sukumarun, as well as the silence surrounding abuse during his schooling years. A visual artist always asking the ‘why’, Quilty is candid about the ‘unknowingness’ of creating and the cultural importanc

  • S1 · E1
    August 24 · 1 hr 22 min· Video

    Jennifer Robinson: Living in the Age of Consequences

    HEART & SOUL with DAVID LESER Ep 1 Jennifer Robinson: Living in the Age of Consequences If you want to hear some of the inside experience of the Amber Heard/Johnny Depp UK Trial and the role of the court in silencing women then this episode is for you! Jennifer Robinson speaks about some of her most famous cases and clients — including Julian Assange and Amber Heard – shares insights from her Grandmother and talks about Silenced, the film adaptation of her book, and how achieving change can take

  • August 17 · 1 min· Video

    Trailer: Heart & Soul with David Leser

    HEART & SOUL WITH DAVID LESER Featuring Jennifer Robinson, Ben Quilty, Jennifer Byrne, Deborah Thomas, Geraldine Brooks, Bob Carr, Benjamin Law, Jess Hill, and Rob Hirst in his final interview Heart & Soul with David Leser is a filmed and recorded interview series for YouTube and podcast audiences that explores the seminal experiences shaping the interior world of some remarkable Australians. These thoughtful, multi-layered conversations delve into universal themes of courage, creativity, grief,

Showing 1–7 of 7 episodes