Life Matters - Separate stories podcast

There's something about the start of a new year that invites you to stop and reflect.Once the holidays are over and life settles back into routine, issues you've been avoiding can have a way of resurfacing – especially in relationships.So it may not come as a huge surprise that January is a peak time for separations.But if the new year has you reassessing your relationship, how can you tell whether it's a rough patch worth working through, or a sign it's time to part ways?

What was happening in your life in 2016?There's a viral trend asking us to look back at who we were a decade ago. Old photos. Old haircuts. Old versions of ourselves we'd maybe forgotten about.But was 2016 really that good? When we look back at the person we used to be, how reliable are the stories we tell ourselves about who we were and who we've become?

Volunteering is all about inclusion but what happens when you manage the volunteer roster and your fellow parents aren't happy about a particularly nit-picky volunteering grandma?The Aunties are here to help! 

If you're counting down the days to retirement, it could be further away than you think. Recent data suggests almost one in five Australians have postponed retirement or re-entered the work force in the past two years.For some, returning to work is a way to stay engaged, but for a growing number of Australians there's simply not enough in their nest egg to retire when and how they'd like.

What was happening in your life in 2016?There's a viral trend asking us to look back at who we were a decade ago. Old photos. Old haircuts. Old versions of ourselves we'd maybe forgotten about.But was 2016 really that good? When we look back at the person we used to be, how reliable are the stories we tell ourselves about who we were and who we've become?

Have you tried typing your name into an online search engine?It can be surprising what shows up – and even harder to figure out how to control or clean up the digital footprint you leave online.So is it even possible to reduce your online presence, or opt out altogether?

Have you considered taking up rollerskating? What about pickleball? Aqua aerobics? Whatever it might be, trying something new to get your body moving could be really good for you.A Harvard University study following 111,000 people over three decades has found that mixing up the types of exercise you do can significantly reduce the risk of early death. 

Volunteer numbers have been in steady decline in Australia recently, but the amount of work those volunteers need to do has stayed roughly the same.The result? Volunteer burnout.While the volunteering load is falling disproportionately on the older generations, don't write off the young ones just yet — the full picture isn't that simple.

Everyone's lonely but nobody can hang out. That's how New York-based writer and speaker Amanda Litman felt at the start of 2025. Her answer: to host weekly dinners — inviting friends, acquaintances and strangers alike — as a way to build a community and combat the loneliness she felt. A year on, she reflects on building community in a world that is so often geared to convenience and individualism.So what does it take, and what gets in the way of us doing it?

Weight loss drugs are in high demand across Australia, and it'll soon be a lot easier to get your hands on them. Changes to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme are set to allow more people to access GLP-1s at a subsidised price, specifically to manage obesity.So if the popularity of weight loss drugs means we're eating less, where does that leave the beauty of connecting over food? Will we see a cultural shift away from the shared table or will the menu just be a little different?