Life Matters - Separate stories podcast

Food ministers from across Australia and New Zealand have green-lit the process to make the health stars you see in the supermarket mandatory for all food products. So far the system has been voluntary, with only 39 per cent of Australian products opting to display their rating. It's a step in the right direction, but what else do we need to do to create a healthy environment for everyone? 

When one of your kids gets divorced, it may seem obvious whose side you should take. But how do you navigate the family dynamics when talking with your grandkids? Is it possible to remain "neutral" around little ears?

You're sitting at the kitchen table, heart racing. You've replayed this moment 100 times in your head: what to say, how to say it, how they might react. For many queer Australians, that conversation — the one where you come out to the people you love — is filled with anxiety, uncertainty, and hope all at once.Nearly 50 years after the first Mardi Gras march lit up the streets of Sydney, demanding an end to discrimination, so much has changed. LGBTQIA+ people today can be more visible than ever before.But visibility doesn't equate to safety, acceptance and ease.So what does it actually mean to come out in 2026? Is it easier? Is it safer? Or does that kitchen table conversation still carry the same weight it always has?

In most elite sports, the ultimate goal is winning. But what happens when you share the gold medal with a competitor?At the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics this week, two events ended in a tie, with athletes stepping up to stand on the podium side by side.As one of the Austrian skiers put it: "Celebrating a medal at the Olympics is a childhood dream come true — even better if you can share it with someone else."So what can we learn from athletes about the satisfaction that comes from sharing our successes?

If you were stranded on a desert island with your peers, would you work together to survive, or would things quickly descend into chaos?This scenario feels familiar, thanks to countless books, TV shows and films — most famously Lord of the Flies.William Golding's 1954 novel follows British schoolboys who crash on an island and soon turn on each other, with its most recent TV adaption out this month. So what do these stories reveal about us, and why do we keep returning to them? 

We talk about good hair days — and bad ones — as if they're small things. But for people who are losing their hair, it isn't small at all.It can feel like losing a part of yourself and learning, slowly, how to meet the new version in the mirror. So why is it that hair is so linked with our sense of who we are? And why do we pay so much attention to the hair of the people around us?

Tiny homes are booming — manufacturers are springing up across the country, and you can even pick up a basic DIY kit from your local hardware store. And with the federal government 250,000 homes short of its target to build 1.2 million new homes by 2029, some in the sector argue tiny homes could be part of the solution. But what is it like to actually live in a tiny home for the long haul, and could they really help to address Australia's housing crisis?

How often do you have to push yourself to do something you know will do you good, even when it feels like a struggle?That’s what running is like. Even if you enjoy it, it can be uncomfortable – aching legs, burning lungs, and that nagging voice in your head telling you to walk the rest of the way.So many of us have an on-again, off-again relationship with running – and yet we keep coming back. Run clubs are booming, marathons are selling out, and more people are lacing up than ever before.So what is it about running that keeps us hooked – and what else might be drawing us in?

Scientists are turning to optical atomic clocks to measure time with unprecedented precision. Of course, that still won’t help you figure out how to gauge when someone says they’ll “be there in five,” or “give me a sec.” Our sense of time is deeply personal, and it shifts as we age.So why does time feel so bendy? And is there a way to slow it down – or at least look back without wondering where the year went?

From its beginnings as a protest march in Sydney's inner city, Mardi Gras has become an internationally renowned celebration of LGBTQIA+ life.Except this year it's a little different, as festival organisers announced the huge post-parade party — the one that's been headlined by Kylie Minogue and Cher — has been cancelled.It's not just Mardi Gras feeling the pressure.Last year, the ABC reported that three Australian capital cities no longer have a single dedicated queer club.So it begs the question: what role does the big queer party, the dancefloor, the safe space play in modern Australian life?