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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.

Conversations

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.

Sam was 18 when her budding ballet career was cut short by a shocking injury.

After a year on the couch recovering, she reinvented herself.

A few years later, inspired by the story of her own life in ballet, she co-created a TV series called Dance Academy.

Dance Academy went on to screen in 160 countries, with Sam as the head writer across the 65 episodes.

Sam's next show, The End, was set partly in a Gold Coast retirement village.

Samantha got the idea as she watched how her own Grandmother's life changed after moving into a similar place at the end of her life.

She expected to hate it, but eventually she found a circle of friends who partied hard and talked freely about love, sex, and death, including experimenting with making their own Nembutal.

Further information

Originally broadcast April 2021.

Samantha has since won a Logie for her work on the Netflix program Apple Cider Vinegar, based on Belle Gibson’s life.

This episode was produced by Nicola Harrison. The Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney.

It explores Belle Gibson, wellness, scam, scammers, Philip Nitschke, exit international, VAD, voluntary assisted dying, nursing home, aged care, grandparent grandchild relationship, sick parent, writing, being a writer, dance career, LA, Los Angeles, film industry, connections, Australians in LA, actors, nudists and naturalists.

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Encore: Love, sex and the secret life of retirees

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 2. And there were other more secretive stories, involving a return to Communist East Germany and a heartbreaking decision made by Alfreda as a young woman.

But Reuben uses the art of cabaret to help make sense of and pay tribute to his momentous family stories.

Reuben Kaye's one man show is called EnGORGED and tickets are available via Reuben Kaye's website

This episode of Conversations was produced by Jen Leake, executive producer is Nicola Harrison.

It explores family history, Nazi Germany, East Germany, persecution, Russia, immigration, dress making, grief, suicide, divorce, cancer, queer identity, bullying, Jewish history, Jewish identity, the Holocaust, musical theatre, drug use, London, death, funerals, live shows, comedy, make up, drag, Stolpersteine, stumbling stones, Melbourne, Leipzig.

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

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

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 into some of the most prestigious ballet companies in the world.

Along the way, Petal fell in love with three great men, and she lost them all under brutal circumstances.

Get Up, Dress Up, Show Up: Lessons in Love and Surmounting Grief is published by Grosvenor House.

This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris, executive producer is Nicola Harrison.

It explores ballet, dancing, United Kingdom, Dancing with the Stars, love, relationships, marriage, career women, death, grief, loss of a spouse, sexuality, lavender marriages, 1960s, hippies, free love, Western Australia, South Africa, apartheid, genocide, Canada, couples who work together, dating in later life, how to date in later life, online dating after 70, bravery, courage, HIV AIDS, STI, divorce, memoir, writing, books, origin story.

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

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

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 to find himself in the Prime Minister’s office.

Paul was on close terms with both Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser when Australia faced the biggest crisis in its political history.

Five days before the dismissal, Paul was told — off the record — that the Governor General, Sir John Kerr, was going to sack the Whitlam Government, but Paul was sworn to secrecy and had to stand back and watch the fallout like everyone else.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the political upheaval, and Paul looks back at his insider’s experience in the press gallery from that tumultuous time.

Further information

This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan. The Executive Producer was Nicola Harrison.

This episode explores remembrance day 2025, government shutdown, paul kelly, democracy in crisis, conspiracy, gough whitlam, whitlam, whitlam government, malcolm fraser, john kerr, constitutional crisis, election, it's time, no fault divorce, free university, women's rights, women's lib, medibank, great barrier reef, healthcare, old parliament house, press gallery, old school journo, power, journalism, mungo mccallum, graham freudenberg, killing season and dismissal.

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

The conspiracy that brought down the Whitlam Government in the 1975 dismissal

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 MTV awards.

And when they weren't working, they were back at high school, at Newcastle High.

Silverchair made 5 albums together, all of which debuted at Number 1 on the Australian charts.

But being a teenager rock god wasn't all roses, and through the years, and especially after the break-up of the band, Ben had to work through anxiety and addiction to make a good life for himself as a grown up.

This episode explores Silverchair, teenagers, rock music, guitar, male friendship, record deal, live music, mental health, fame, touring, Newcastle, money, anxiety, family, recovery

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

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

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.

But Ben's method of coaching seems counter-intuitive.

Rather than telling these athletes they're the best, he encourages them to own their flaws, make sense of their life stories off the field, prioritising vulnerability and human connection, so they can take both wins and losses in their stride. 

Further information

Originally broadcast in July 2021.

Ben Crowe's new book, Where the Light Gets In, will be published by HarperCollins in January 2026.

This episode of Conversations was produced by Michelle Ransom Hughes, executive producer was Carmel Rooney.

It explores sport, NBA, basketball, football, Bayern, David Beckham, Hawks, Tigers, Magpies, Warriors, Tottenham, Jake Weatherald, Champions League, Wimbledon, Tennis Open, US Open, Australian Open, Arsenal, UCL, sports trading, UEFA, FIFA, mindset coaching, positive, books, writing, origin story, grief, death of a father, josh giddey.

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

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

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 baby whales and women who lived in kelp forests. 

These stories always featured a bay and very cold water — neither of which were in Geraldton.

Many years later, while Tasma was filming Blue Heelers and living in St Kilda in Melbourne, her grandmother came to stay, and the stories she had told Tasma over and over again started to make sense.

Except for one tale that had been sanitised for children’s ears — a supposed love story between Tasma's great-great-great grandmother, Nannertgarrook, and a vicious sealer man.

As an adult, Tasma started to research the truth of what had happened to Nannertgarrook, generations ago.

Further information

If you need help, you can call the National domestic family and sexual violence counselling service on 1800-RESPECT — 1800 737 732.

I Am Nannertgarrook is published by Simon & Schuster Bundyi.

Tasma was named joint winner, with Robbie Arnott, of the $100,000 ARA Historical Novel Prize for 2025.

Watch Reckless on SBS, NITV, and SBS ON DEMAND.

This episode of Conversations was produced by Alice Moldovan. The Executive Producer was Nicola Harrison.

This episode explores heritage, ancestral legacy, inherited trauma, intergenerational trauma, DV, family violence, method acting, mob, Indigenous, First Nations, Aboriginal, slavery, blak, blak mothers, reconnecting with culture, bunurong strong, Nerrm, Narrm, Wilsons Prom, Wilsons Promontory, mermaids, dolphins, asthma, asthma attacks, medea, monologue, auditions, acting auditions, SBS, reckless, St Kilda, Blue Heelers, Luna Park.

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Uncovering the heart of my Nana’s saltwater stories

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 William set off to follow Marco Polo's journey across the width of Asia and he wrote a best-selling book about that adventure.

But after then moving to India, William started to see the many gaps and biases in his understanding of history and ever since he's been working to find the stories and people his education had left out.

William also began uncovering his own family’s connections to India which stretched back generations and eventually a discovery relating to his own father's experience in India as a young man. It seemed to answer the question of why his Dad chose never to go back.

The episode of Conversations was produced by Jen Leake, the Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.

It explores history, Scotland, North Berwick, Marco Polo's journey to South Asia, India, Delhi, archaeology, witches, family history, aristocracy, partition, history writing, large families, family secrets, the golden road, Palestine, Ampleforth College, Catholic Education, Robbie Burns, travel writing, Scottish history. 

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

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

Historian William Dalrymple grew up in an idyllic seaside town in Scotland, then as an adult he fell in love with India and discovered his family's 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 William set off to follow Marco Polo's journey across the width of Asia and he wrote a best-selling book about that adventure.

But after then moving to India, William started to see the many gaps and biases in his understanding of history and ever since he's been working to find the stories and people his education had left out.

William also began uncovering his own family’s connections to India which stretched back generations and eventually a discovery relating to his own father's experience in India as a young man. It seemed to answer the question of why his Dad chose never to go back.

The episode of Conversations was produced by Jen Leake, the Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.

It explores history, Scotland, North Berwick, Marco Polo's journey to South Asia, India, Delhi, archaeology, witches, family history, aristocracy, partition, history writing, large families, family secrets, the golden road, Palestine, Ampleforth College, Catholic Education, Robbie Burns, travel writing, Scottish history. 

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

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

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 family were everyone was mad about horses and horse racing. Her dad always said girls could be great jockeys if they were given the opportunity and she was determined to prove him right, despite some big challenges.

She won her first race at age 15 and in 2015 became the first woman to win The Melbourne Cup and her beloved brother Stevie was her strapper for the race.

Michelle Payne's memoir is called Ride On

The executive producer of Conversations is Nicola Harrison.

It explores horse racing, the Melbourne Cup, female jockey, large families, grief, death, animals, disability, training, injuring, horses, gambling, physical endurance, extreme weight loss, women, head injury, life threatening injuries, horses, recovery, resilience.

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

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

Sean Sweeney on the complications and joys of growing up as a a hearing child in a deaf family, using Auslan, a distinctively Australian sign language.

In his twenties, Sean rebelled against the deaf world, and began to look for a new life in the hearing one.

But after eighteen years, he returned. He found work as an interpreter at TAFE, and he met his future wife.

In 2019, Sean became well known for interpreting from English to Auslan for Australia's Rural Fire Service during Australia's Bushfire Emergency.

The episode of Conversations explores family, Auslan, interpreting, bushfire emergency, family, CODA

Encore: How Sean Sweeney found his deaf heart

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