Life Matters - Separate Stories Podcast

Vin Maskell's precious object is symbolic of his brother. It's been through many moves and life-stages, and holds a special space in his home, and his heart.

We've been told gas could lead the economic recovery following COVID lockdowns, that gas is a transition fuel to renewables and part of a cleaner future. So why are an increasing number of people disconnecting from gas?

When it comes to your True Confessions, often it's those tiny moments in childhood that have got you writing and recording for us here at Life Matters. That certainly applies to this confession from Bec Kos, which she's titled The Tale of the Plasticine Rabbit.

Imagine a world of work that doesn't involve email. Instead of your work day being ruled by your inbox, the attention-grabbing, attend-to-me-now nature of emails may be a thing of the past. That's if computer science professor Cal Newport has anything to do with it.

In 1954, a young Queen Elizabeth embarked on her first tour of Australia, including townships in regional Australia that would never again experience the hype of a visit by a ruling Monarch. One of those towns was Shepparton in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley. At the time, the people of the Yorta Yorta nation had made their home on a stretch of a flood plain between Shepparton and Mooroopna. This place was known as the Flats.

When journalist Jenny Valentish took up kickboxing, the feeling of sparring was so euphoric it soon became her “singular pursuit in life”. It also gave her a window into the experience of others who push their bodies to dangerous extremes. Their stories, as well as Jenny's own, are the backbone of her latest book.

When you first started at your company you became friends with a guy who had also just started working there. Recently, he joined your team and now reports directly to you. How can you maintain the boundary and authority of being his boss without compromising the friendship?

When it comes to relationships between fathers and their children, advice and support can come from many different places. We explore the bond between father and child, and what works to build and keep it strong. Dads of all ages, what's the best advice you've received about fatherhood?

Cartoonist Alison Bechdel, best known for her graphic novel turned Broadway musical 'Fun Home', has garnered a cult following for her ability to bring to life what’s going on inside her head through illustration. But, her new book is about her lifelong quest to get out of her head and into her body through physical fitness. It’s called the 'Secret to Superhuman Strength'.

After leaving an evangelical church "exvangelicals", or ex-evangelicals, say what they miss most is the sense of belonging to a community.

Most discussions about electricity prices deal with the supply side of the equation and which energy source is more efficient. However, there is a lot that can be done on the demand side and it's easier, cheaper and quicker to implement.

Comfort dogs are being used to assist people dealing with traumatic situations such as in criminal court cases and funerals.

In the Sydney suburb of Ryde, a group of artists come together each week to craft, create and learn new skills. Members of the group, made up of locals who access mental health services, have formed a special connection through their love of art.

The new government has identified insecure work as a key issue in need of tackling, and long-term casuals, labour hire, and gig workers are set to benefit. About 55 per cent of Australians are in non-standard employment. We look at how it got to this point, and the potential impacts of reform for workers and employers.

Climate scientists have been working for decades to present the facts around climate change and the realities of a warmer world, but a growing genre of climate fiction is bringing those ideas to mass audiences. What can fiction tell us about the potential future of our planet?

Many of us have tools that we turn to when we feel stressed, like going for a walk, vigorous exercise or practising mindfulness. One stress reduction tool that has become an increasing focus of psychological research is Emotional Freedom Techniques, also known as tapping. While some see it as fringe, increasing numbers of trials point to its benefits.

Every state and territory in Australia has now banned thin, single-use plastic shopping bags and some retailers and states are going even further, phasing out thicker plastic bags and other kinds of single-use plastics that can't be recycled. But are these bans making a difference as oceans of plastic keep piling up?

Often precious objects are handed down through generations. Luda Korczynskyj lives in Western Australia, but her family originally comes from the Ukraine, and so does her precious object.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he want a conclusion to the Julian Assange matter, but what can his government do? We hear from Julian Assange's brother and two Australians formerly imprisoned overseas, Peter Greste and Kylie Moore-Gilbert.

You've remained friends with a handful of people you went to school with, who you see on occasion. With one in particular though you feel you've outgrown the friendship. You have nothing in common anymore and you find her annoying and overbearing. The trouble is she is always calling or texting wanting to meet up. How do you tell a friend you've outgrown them?