Life Matters - Full program podcast

Family holidays are where we make some of our most cherished memories — and some of the most stressful, chaotic ones, too. So how do you make the most out of the time away? Parenting expert Justin Coulson and writer Rebel Wylie share how to plan for a successful getaway, and what makes it all worthwhile.
Once upon a time, paying for TV meant skipping the ads. But these days, we're paying more and more for an ad-free experience. It's landed Amazon in court, with the ACCC alleging the company relied on unfair contract terms to introduce ads to Prime Video. So what might this case mean for viewers?
Whether it's a long time away, or sooner than you think, death is a fact of life. Embracing that fact could change the way you live. Ben Pronk, author of We're All Going To Die, offers his tips for practical happiness in the time you have left.

Two major Australian musicals, Beetlejuice and Waitress, have been forced to cancel the remaining legs of their tours and close early. So why are big productions struggling, and is the audience part of the problem? Tim Minchin and Live Performance Australia's Eric Lassen unpack what's going on in the Australian theatre scene.
For Pam Brinsmead, life had always felt like a movie where everyone else knew the script. That was until she received an autism diagnosis in her 50s that changed everything. She joins psychologist Jac den Houting to explore how autism presents in girls and women, and the freedom in discovering your true self later in life.
This week marks 30 years since Dolly the sheep became the first mammal ever cloned from an adult cell. It was a landmark moment in the world of science, so how have our perceptions on the ethics of cloning shifted in the years since?

The evidence around how much birth order affects personality traits or behaviour has been debated for decades, but one thing is fairly clear from the data: middle children are disappearing. We're flat out having second babies, let alone a third. So if middle children are no more, what do we stand to lose? 
In 2025 alone Australians lost almost $18 million to scams delivered via text messages. Come July 1, scammers face an extra hurdle to reaching your mobile — but that doesn't mean it's time to let your guard down.
Erchana Murrary-Bartlett set herself a huge goal in 2022: run 150 marathons from the very tip of Australia's east coast to the bottom. She broke a world record in the process, and now she's releasing a documentary about her epic trip called 150.

We all have our own habitual behaviours that help us get through tricky moments or avoid stressful situations. But sometimes, what feels easier or more comfortable in the moment can hurt us long-term. Clinical psychologist Rebecca Ray explains how identifying self-sabotaging behaviours and understanding what's behind them is the best place to start breaking the cycle.
This week, Aunties Nate Byrne and Janty Blair weigh in on a family dilemma over a relative who's gone MIA. Is juggling life with a new baby a good enough excuse to skip the odd family function? If everyone else is putting in the effort, is it fair to feel a little miffed at the cousin who can't make it?

Play School is celebrating a milestone birthday this year: it's Big Ted's diamond jubilee. For six decades, the show's beloved presenters have been singing, playing, telling stories and teaching generations of Australian children. Long-term hosts Alex Papps and Don Spencer join media researcher Jessica Balanzategui to discuss the secret to the show's success? 
A regimented focus on what you're eating. Big, rapid changes to your body. Constant monitoring of your weight. All these are signs of a potential eating disorder — but they're also things that happen during pregnancy. Research estimates 1 in 20 women experience an eating disorder during pregnancy. So if it's so hard to spot how do you do it, and how do you have a conversation about it if you're concerned? 
And in Social Studies with Professor Dan Woodman, we investigate an apparent decline in public displays of affection among Gen Z.