Best Em Rusciano Podcasts (2025)

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Best of 2025: Mike Doleman on surving the Blythe Star 53:00

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5d ago53:00

53:00

At 18 years old, Mick Doleman miraculously survived when his ship capsized in the freezing Southern Ocean off Tasmania. But as he floated in a life raft with his nine crewmates, his ordeal at sea had only just begun. This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris, the Executive Producer was Nicola Harrison. It covers ship wreck, overcr…

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Best of 2025: How I became a brainwashed cult bride 53:31

6d ago53:31

53:31

Liz Cameron was 18 years old when a stranger approached her in a book shop. It was the beginning of her induction into a cult, and it was an experience Liz barely survived. The process of brainwashing happened gradually, first came the love-bombing and the allure of finding a new purpose in life. Then came the isolation from friends and family, alo…

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Best of 2025: The young boat builder who rowed across the Pacific 52:16

7d ago52:16

52:16

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 …

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Best of 2025: Claire Keegan on bravery, writing and the single life 53:10

8d ago53:10

53:10

The bestselling Irish author grew up on a farm set on “50 acres on the side of a hill”. Growing up, she witnessed a harsh, misogynistic country that convinced her she would never marry. Claire shares what she has learned about writing from a litter of newborn piglets. Her works Small Things Like These and Foster have both been made into movies. Cla…

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Best of 2025: How Vincent Fantauzzo's life was saved by love and painting 52:00

9d ago52:00

52:00

When artist Vincent Fantauzzo was a boy he was a street-fighting petty criminal with dyslexia and a blazing talent for drawing. He escaped jail time, and grew up to become one of Australia's most well-known portrait artists. VIncent Fantauzzo is one of Australia's most successful portrait artists. For his luminous, photo-realistic paintings he's wo…

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Encore: the life of Norman Swan 51:00

12d ago51:00

51:00

How a boy from Glasgow named Norman Swirsky grew up to become Australia's most famous doctorWhen Norman was 10 years old his dad decided to change the family's surname to Swan in a response to ongoing anti-Semitism in Scotland after WWII. Norman wanted to be an actor growing up, but his parents encouraged him to study medicine. After he completed h…

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William McInnes' bittersweet summers — budgie smugglers, boardies and bumming around 50:30

13d ago50:30

50:30

The author and actor thinks summer in Australia is done bigger, better and weirder than anywhere else. For three months of the year, life slows down and heats up. But for William, summer in Australia is an imperfect paradise where more than anything, people yearn to connect. Summer can be a hellish time in Australia, where temperatures soar and fir…

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How living like a Stoic changed my life 51:19

14d ago51:19

51:19

Journalist and author, Brigid Delaney looked into the ancient philosophy during an assignment from her editor. What she discovered led her to years of study and a brand-new outlook on life that focuses less on happiness and more on meaning and contentment. Brigid is devoted to the Stoics, a philosophy that encourages its followers to focus on what …

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The Rajneeshees and me — why Martina thought she needed a guru to heal 53:00

15d ago53:00

53:00

Cult survivor and psychotherapist Dr Martina Zangger on her ten years devoted to an Indian mystic and how she learned to stand on her own two feet. When Martina Zangger was 19 years old she became a devotee of the Rajneeshee Movement led by the Guru, Bhagwan. The cult had its headquarters in a huge ashram, built in rural Oregon, and Martina decided…

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Encore: Helen Garner's love letter to her grandson, and football 52:10

19d ago52:10

52:10

When Helen Garner began following her grandson Amby's under-16s football team, it was a chance to spend more time with her youngest grandchild before he became an adult and she was fascinated by the spectacle. She went along to all the games, and to every training session, shivering on the sidelines at dusk, it also gave Helen a new writing project…

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The forgotten men who fought and died in the wild jungles of Borneo 53:00

20d ago53:00

53:00

At the very end of World War Two, Australian soldiers were sent to Borneo to dislodge the occupying Japanese Forces. The story of their brutal fighting was largely forgotten by their own compatriots, who never understood why they went in there in the first place. It was one of the largest amphibious landings of the whole war, and what followed was …

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Deciding to live—recovery from a decade long battle with anorexia 50:23

21d ago50:23

50:23

While fighting anorexia Lexi Crouch was admitted to hospital 25 times and placed in an induced coma twice. When doctors told her she would die, she began the slow climb up and out to health (CW: discussion of eating disorders) Lexi was 16 when she was first admitted to hospital and diagnosed with anorexia and spent the next decade in and out specia…

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Frosty the supercars legend and his race to the top of Mount Panorama 53:00

22d ago53:00

53:00

Mark Winterbottom grew up in outer Western Sydney, in a family with not much money to spend on expensive hobbies. But by an extraordinary twist of fate, Mark won his first mini motorbike in a shopping centre raffle at the age of 8. Immediately, he was off, speedily rising up from bikes to kart racing, and then to V8 Supercars. Mark won race after r…

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Encore: Author Heather Rose on the grief lodged deep in her body 52:17

26d ago52:17

52:17

Heather's brother and grandfather died in a tragic drowning accident when she was 12 and from that day, she began looking for a way to commune with what lies beyond. The quest has taken the Stella award winning writer to Buddhist monasteries, Native American dance rituals and sweat lodges, and to the discipline of writing. And Heather has had an in…

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A former army psychologist on ketamine therapy, PTSD and her surrogate twins 49:18

27d ago49:18

49:18

Louise O'Sullivan spent 10 years with the ADF, including deployments with the Special Forces in Afghanistan which eventually left her with PTSD, but a bigger battle lay ahead, the fight to save her premature twins. After leaving the military, Louise wanted to begin a family but cancer treatment had left her unable to carry her own children so she f…

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Dad, Bob Marley and me 45:32

28d ago45:32

45:32

After the death of her father, a spiritual moment with the life-size wooden statue of Bob at Nine Mile convinced queer rapper, Jamaica Moana that everything would be alright. Jamaica was born to the music of Bob Marley on the Central Coast of NSW. Her dad loved Bob’s music more than anything else and would listen incessantly on his interstate truck…

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How a pair of disobedient missionaries invented Australia's most iconic road trip 52:12

29d ago52:12

52:12

Tens of thousands of 'van lifers' and 'grey nomads' drive around Australia each year. But the iconic road trip has a surprising origin story involving a pair of missionaries, a retired butcher and a gun-slinging mother-daughter duo. David Riley is a pastor and father who was on a lap around Australia with his wife and three children when he heard a…

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Encore: How Johnathan Thurston became one of the greats 51:33

1M ago51:33

51:33

Despite being a stand-out young player, many NRL clubs initially rejected Johnathan Thurston because they thought he was too small and wiry but he went on to become one of the best rugby league players of all time. Johnathan showed his rare talent for rugby league early on but his parents didn't have the money to help him travel to games. So in his…

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How Aunty Rhonda learnt to cry 51:12

1M ago51:12

51:12

Artist, author and Stolen Generations survivor, Rhonda Collard-Spratt, on bush hugs, beehives, emu bumps, and finding peace. Aunty Rhonda Collard-Spratt is a Yamatji-Noongar elder and Stolen Generations survivor who grew up on the Carnarvon Native Mission in Western Australia. As a little girl she would escape from her dormitory into the bush to fe…

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From democracy to dictatorship and back again—how freedom falls and tyranny takes hold 53:30

1M ago53:30

53:30

Dr James Loxton on how modern democracies can crumble as authoritarian regimes take hold, but also how freedom and democracy can rise again, from the Americas to Europe and into Asia. James grew up in stable Canada, where he spent his summers herding sheep in the middle of forest plantations. As a teenager, he hatched a plan to escape his "rough as…

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A bulldog on the ice -- Eric's journey from the South Pole to Outer Space 52:19

1M ago52:19

52:19

Eric Philips has always loved cold weather and from young age became fixated on the idea of polar exploration and following in the footsteps of the adventurers he read about in National Geographic. And he went on to lead gruelling expeditions to the North and South Poles, pushing his body and mind to the limits. Eric also had dreams of travelling i…

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Encore: Love, sex and the secret life of retirees 45:17

1M ago45:17

45:17

Screenwriter Samantha Strauss on her grandmother's vibrant last years in a Gold Coast retirement home where love, sex and startlingly pragmatic conversations about dying were all part of daily life. (CW: not suitable for children) (R) Samantha Strauss started dancing from the age of 2, and as she grew up, she became increasingly serious about it. S…

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Making peace and finding laughter in my family's dark past

1M ago

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Reuben Kaye has always known he was going to be a performer and grew up a house that encouraged his love of the limelight. But in the background was the weight of his family history full of complicated characters and stories of cruelty. Reuben's parent both came from Jewish European families who were forced to flee their homes because of World War …

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Loving and losing three good men—the story of a ballerina called 'Blossom' 52:00

1M ago52:00

52:00

Petal Ashmole Winstanley was just a teenager when she left Perth on her own to sail to London. There, in the swinging 1960s, she began her wild adventure of dance, love and heartbreak. Petal got her first big dancing break in a Christmas pantomime, and then she had a spin as a Go-Go dancer in a Parisian nightclub, before eventually working her way …

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The conspiracy that brought down the Whitlam Government in the 1975 dismissal 53:25

1M ago53:25

53:25

Editor-at-Large of The Australian, Paul Kelly looks back at the most profound crisis in Australia’s democracy, including the off-the-record information he was given five days before it took place. In 1975 Paul was a young press gallery journalist, working in the cramped old Parliament House, where all it took was a flight of stairs and a few steps …

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Silverchair’s Ben Gillies on his life as a teenage rock god, and what happened next

1M ago

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When Ben Gillies was 15 he began touring around the world in his band called Silverchair. After the band broke up, Ben had to work through anxiety and addiction to make an entirely new life for himself. Silverchair toured America, supporting the Ramones and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. They played on the roof of the Radio City Music Hall during the …

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S14E6: S14 E6 Em Rusciano's menopause mission 34:23

1M ago34:23

34:23

In this raw, funny and deeply honest episode, comedian, writer, broadcaster and advocate Em Rusciano joins Prevention Editor Zoe Meunier to talk about her unfiltered experience of midlife, menopause and self-discovery – as shared in her new memoir, Blood, Sweat and Glitter. Em opens up about navigating perimenopause, ADHD, and autism, and the recko…

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Encore: Meet Ash Barty's mindset coach — Ben Crowe 53:30

2M ago53:30

53:30

How does Ben Crowe get elite athletes to the top of their game? What he asks footballers, surfers and tennis players to do seems counter intuitive, and a lot of the work happens off the field. (R) Ben Crowe is a mindset coach who has worked with elite athletes like surfer Steph Gilmore, tennis superstar Ash Barty, and the Richmond Football Club. Bu…

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Uncovering the heart of my Nana’s saltwater stories 53:19

2M ago53:19

53:19

Bunurong/Boonwurrung actor and author, Tasma Walton was enjoying her big break on TV show Blue Heelers in the 1990s in Melbourne when a transformative visit from her grandmother launched her in a new direction. Boonwurrung/Bunurong woman, Tasma grew up in windy Geraldton, in Western Australia in the 1970s, hearing stories from her grandmother about…

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William Dalrymple's own curious history, from the Scottish coast to Mughal Delhi

2M ago

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Historian William Dalrymple had a rarefied childhood on the windswept coast of Scotland. As an adult he fell in love with India, and later discovered his family's own deep ties to the country. Born into the Scottish aristocracy, William followed his three older brothers and left for boarding school at just 8 years old. While still an university Wil…

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The drama and the grit behind Michelle Payne's ride into Melbourne Cup history

2M ago

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Ten years ago, Michelle Payne became the first woman to win The Melbourne Cup but in the years since she's had to face many challenges, including a life threatening injury and family heartbreak. Fortunately if there is one thing Michelle knows a lot about, it's how to get back up. Michelle Payne grew up on a farm, the youngest of ten kids, in a fam…

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S14E6: S14 E5 Making menopause everyone's business 29:21

2M ago29:21

29:21

How can workplaces better support women through menopause – and why does it matter for everyone? In this episode of Thriving in Menopause, Prevention Australia editor Zoe Meunier speaks with Grace Molloy, CEO of Menopause Friendly Australia (menopausefriendlyaustralia.com.au), the organisation helping employers create inclusive, understanding and s…

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Encore: The story of a wild, radical feminist socialist lesbian mum, and her son 53:18

2M ago53:18

53:18

Writer, Ianto Ware on growing up in the suburbs of Adelaide in a single-parent, single-child family, when such an experience was rare. (R) Ianto Ware was raised in the suburbs of Adelaide in a house surrounded by a tangled garden of oak trees and vegetables, and furniture foraged from hard rubbish. Aside from the family pets, it was just Ianto and …

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How Paris helped this aerospace engineer survive anorexia 53:12

2M ago53:12

53:12

Kate Reid inherited her love of Formula 1 from her dad. She put her heart and soul into qualifying for a job with the renowned racing team, Williams, but her dream job turned out very differently to what she expected. Then, a public library turned out to be a bridge to Kate's recovery. Growing up in Melbourne, Kate was an asthmatic child who develo…

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The strange tale of the artist who stole 3000 butterflies

2M ago

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Walter Marsh with the surreal tale of Colin Wyatt, the ski champion, mountaineer, wartime camouflage expert, artist, and naturalist who committed one of the world's biggest-ever museum heists in the 1940s. In January 1947, by chance, it was found that over 3,000 rare and precious specimens of butterflies had vanished from museums in Sydney, Melbour…

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Why this humanitarian doctor swapped Byron Bay for a war zone and what happened next 53:00

2M ago53:00

53:00

Katie Treble grew up crying at about how all the king's horses and men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again. It was that compassion that made her the perfect candidate for doctoring during war as an adult. When Dr Katie Treble decided to swap the good vibes and beautiful beaches of Byron Bay for work with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) she kne…

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S14E4: S14 E4 Fertility during perimenopause 19:18

2M ago19:18

19:18

Fertility is often one of the most confusing – and surprising – aspects of perimenopause. Your hormones are fluctuating, your periods might be irregular, but yes, you can still fall pregnant. For some women, that’s an unexpected joy; for others, a wake-up call. And for those trying to conceive later in life, it can be a time filled with questions, …

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Encore: Aaron Fa’Aoso on his mistakes, heartaches, and lucky breaks

2M ago

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Aaron was living on the tip of Cape York when he borrowed his uncle’s dinghy to make it to his first acting audition on nearby Thursday Island. He won the role that day in a TV show called Remote Area Nurse, and many other TV series followed, including the crime dramas The Straits and East West 101. He also presented the Torres Strait Island Cookin…

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‘Maximalist power queen’ Em Rusciano on the diagnoses that revealed her 52:30

2M ago52:30

52:30

The singer, podcaster, writer and comedian on living big with neurodivergence, and owning her manic, creative energy. Growing up in Melbourne in the 1980s, Em was a serious young athlete, focused on hurdles, when a high kick up-ended her ambitions. She was a creative, energetic child who seemed to always be busier than everyone else. As a young, st…

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Telling the future and the past through the palm 53:18

2M ago53:18

53:18

From fairground palmistry to the science of fingerprinting, historian Alison Bashford explores the secrets, history and psychology of the hand. Alison was in a London library when she discovered a ginormous palm print of a gorilla, taken two days after it died at London Zoo in the 1930s. She had no idea whatsoever about why someone had made this my…

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Cakes, Ottolenghi and the Fire Horse child 51:28

2M ago51:28

51:28

Helen Goh's life story began with a complicated childhood — and blossomed into one about culture, cake and the meaning of life. Helen was born in Malaysia in the year of the Fire Horse. This zodiac birth year was a big threat to the Gohs, and her parents had to make a heartbreaking decision that would affect the family for a generation. The Gohs ev…

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S14E3: S14 E3 Treating sleep issues in menopause 28:41

2M ago28:41

28:41

If you’ve ever found yourself wide awake at 3am with a racing mind or drenched from a night sweat, you’re not alone. Up to half of women in perimenopause and menopause experience disrupted sleep – and it can affect everything from your mood and memory to your relationships and quality of life. In this episode of Thriving in Menopause, we talk to Dr…

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Encore: Wendy Harmer on overcoming her fractured childhood

2M ago

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Wendy Harmer has enjoyed huge success over four decades as a comedian, tv host and as a radio presenter. A long way from her origins in country Victoria, where she was born with a facial disfigurement, into a struggling family. When her mother left, Wendy often had to look after her young siblings. After her talent for writing was spotted by a lect…

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Why these prisoners of war wished they never escaped 'from the bloody train' 46:42

2M ago46:42

46:42

Historian and bookseller Edmund Goldrick on the hair-raising, forgotten tale of the escaped Australian prisoners of war who stumbled into another, hidden genocide, and tried to stop it. Early in the World War Two, Australian soldiers who had been captured by the Germans escaped by leaping from a moving train. They found themselves in unfamiliar ter…

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QAnon, 15-minute cities and sovereign citizens: Plunging into the world of conspiracy theories 52:06

2M ago52:06

52:06

Journalist Ariel Bogle takes us inside the rallies, homes, courtrooms, secret chat rooms and $2000 Byron Bay luxury retreats where Australia’s conspiracy theories spread. Ariel has been investigating conspiracy theories and those who follow them for her new book. When things feel wrong and unfair, sometimes people look for answers in some of the mo…

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The Hollywood insider and the murder that changed his famous family 48:11

2M ago48:11

48:11

Griffin Dunne's acting career was just taking off when his sister was brutally attacked by an ex-boyfriend, and the outcome of the infamous murder trial that followed was devastating for his family. As a child his parents threw legendary parties, including one where Sean Connery saved him from drowning in the family pool in Beverly Hills and when h…