No Filter

Ellie Cole lost her leg to cancer when she was just 3 years old and shortly after, her family received a list of things from the doctor that she wouldn't be able to do. The list included things like rollerblading and riding a bike but Ellie had other plans.  Ellie doesn't remember much about losing her leg and she grew up with a family who treated her like everyone else, so she set about ticking off every single item on that doctor's list. Since then, she has gone on to win 15 Paralympic medals in the pool, spending over half her life on the Australian swim team and she joins Mia Freedman to talk about it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced they were leaving the royal family the commentary went one of two ways: how very dare they and good on them. But so much of the vitriol was aimed at Meghan and if we look back at history, it tells a chilling tale of what happens to women when they don't fit the perceived idea of what a “princess” should be. In this episode, Mia is joined by journalist, author and broadcaster Dr Julia Baird, who along with having a PHD in history and a book on how female politicians are perceived in the media, has trawled the royal archives to write the biography of Queen Victoria.   She joins Mia here to talk about Meghan and Harry, women who flip the royal script and why the world has a problem with women in power.  Click here to subscribe to No Filter. CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman  With thanks to special guests to Dr Julia Baird Producer: Bridget Northeast You can find Julia's book, Queen Victoria here: https://bit.ly/2SjXxBG And order her new book Phosporescence here

Here's what we know about Tim Minchin. He's an actor, writer, composer, lyristist and director.  But he’s also a self-described nerd, who became wildly famous after the success of Matilda and then fell from grace when an animated film he was working on for 4 years got shut down. In this interview, he talks to Mia about being battered by America, the feeling of knowing your most successful work could be behind you and how in his line of work he has made a choice to be monogamous and put family first. He also has a new TV show called Upright that he is unashamedly proud of and we absolutely loved. You can watch it on Foxtel now! Click here to subscribe to No Filter. CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman  With thanks to special guest Tim Minchin Producer: Bridget Northeast GET IN TOUCH: Call the PodPhone on 02 8999 9386. Email the show at podcast@mamamia.com.au No Filter is a podcast by Mamamia. Find more shows here If you are after something else to listen to, follow the link to hear the brand new season of

Tory Shepherd doesn't have kids and if you ask her why she’ll consider telling you that she lost her uterus in a tragic fishing accident. It's not actually true but she reckons that answer is easier for people to accept than the truth. Tory is 42 and a prominent Australian journalist who has written a book called On Freedom about women who choose not to have children and the stigma that comes with that choice.  She joins Mia here to talk about it Click here to subscribe to No Filter. CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman  With thanks to special guest Tory Shepherd Producer: Elissa Ratliff GET IN TOUCH: Call the PodPhone on 02 8999 9386. Email the show at podcast@mamamia.com.au Find any book mentioned at apple.co/mamamia No Filter is a podcast by Mamamia. Find more shows here.         See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Season 2 of Tiddas 4 Tiddas launches today, so we are popping into your feed to share the first episode!  Today is January 26th and if you've ever wondered why this day causes so much controversy, or how it can affect Indigenous Australians, this episode is a must-listen. Kamilaroi and Dunghutti woman, Marlee Silva, is joined by her sister Keely, to discuss what the day means to them, why they have handled it differently each year and what they want to see for the day in the future. Subscribe to Tiddas 4 Tiddas here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/tiddas-4-tiddas/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Ondine Sherman was 7 years old, she wrote a letter to the Editor of her local newspaper declaring that she was planning to dedicate her life to helping animals.  Now she's an animal rights activist, cofounding charity organisation Voiceless with her dad, Brian but she's also an author, mother of three and disability advocate for her twin sons.  Ondine has a unique way of guiding people to see how animals could be treated better without judgment or guilt and she brings that same compassion, love and understanding to parenting children with disabilities.  She joins Mia here to talk about it... Click here to subscribe to No Filter. CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman  With thanks to special guest Ondine Sherman You can purchase her books here  Producer: Elissa Ratliff If you loved this interview and want to hear more, check out Mia's interview with Melanie Dimmitt GET IN TOUCH: Call the PodPhone on 02 8999 9386. Email the show at podcast@mamamia.com.au No Filter is a podcast by Mamamia. Find more shows

Celeste Barber became the unexpected face of the bushfire relief effort.  An attempt to raise $20,000 for the NSW Rural Fire Service & Brigades Donations Fund turned into the biggest fundraising effort Facebook had ever seen, totaling over $51million. So, we thought we'd take a look back at the chat Mia had with Celeste about her long rise to 'overnight success' and find out more about the woman who accidentally raised $51million.  Find Celeste Barber on Instagram here... https://www.instagram.com/celestebarber/ CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman  With thanks to special guest Celeste Barber GET IN TOUCH: Call the PodPhone on 02 8999 9386. Head to https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe/ to this and all our pods delivered straight to your inbox. Email the show at podcast@mamamia.com.au This show is part of the Mamamia Women’s Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to our summer series where we play you some of our favourite episodes that you might have missed or might want to revisit.  When Gabbie Stroud shut the door on her primary school classroom in 2014, she knew that she was leaving teaching forever. Between the growing curriculum, demanding parents and standardised tests like Naplan, Gabbie had begun to see her role not as a teacher, but as a data analyst. Now Gabbie has written a memoir, Teacher, which tells her story: How she came to teaching, what our kids need from their teachers - and what finally broke her. The regular season of No Filter returns Jan 20th 2020 Click here to subscribe to No Filter. CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman  With thanks to special guest Gabbie Stroud. Buy her book Teacher here.  Producer: Elissa Ratliff GET IN TOUCH: Pod Phone on 02 8999 9386. Email: podcast@mamamia.com.au Download the Mamamia Podcast App here. This show is part of the Mamamia Podcast Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to our summer series where we play you some of our favourite episodes that you might have missed or might want to revisit. A lot can happen in 30 years of someone’s life. You can build a solid career. Meet the love of your life. Have a baby. Mourn the loss of your dad. Enjoy the family you’ve built. And then watch it implode. Over the past 30 years, Angela Bishop has become one of Australia’s best-known entertainment reporters. She’s been on every red carpet at every awards ceremony in Australia, Hollywood, and London. And she’s met a lot of celebrities. In fact, we wouldn’t be going out on a limb here to say she’s almost met every celebrity ever. But the past two years have been particularly devastating for Angela Bishop, and she joins Mia now to talk about it all. The ups, the downs and the moment that split her life in two.  The regular season of No Filter returns Jan 20th 2020 Click here to subscribe to No Filter. CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman  With thanks to special guest Angela Bishop Pr

Welcome to our summer series where we play you some of our favourite episodes that you might have missed or might want to revisit. The day your life turns upside down usually starts like any other. It’s ordinary, it’s normal. And then, life smacks you in the head and everything changes in an instant. Leigh Sales has spent many years interviewing people whose lives have changed suddenly and tragically and, she's had a few of those days herself. In her new book, An Ordinary Day, she speaks candidly with people who’ve faced the unimaginable.  So what happens when everything that could go wrong, does go wrong? And how have these conversations shaped the way she deals with her own personal tragedies? The regular season of No Filter returns Jan 20th 2020 Click here to subscribe to No Filter. CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman  With thanks to special guest Leigh Sales. Buy her book Any Ordinary Day, here.  Producer: Elissa Ratliff GET IN TOUCH: Pod Phone: 02 8999 9386. Email: podcast@mamamia.com.au Download t

Welcome to our summer series where we play you some of our favourite episodes that you might have missed or might want to revisit. Marian Keyes is one of the most successful authors in the world. She’s sold 35 million books in 35 languages and she’s done that by writing about women’s lives….in all their messiness. She writes the words and the feelings that are inside your head and she makes women feel seen and heard and understood. In a laugh out loud way. She’s able to do this because she - like most of us - has had some bloody tough times in her own life. She’s battled addiction, crippling mental illness….and it’s those experiences that give her writing and her such incredible warmth and truth... The regular season of No Filter returns Jan 20th 2020 Click here to subscribe to No Filter. CREDITS: Host Mia Freedman. With thanks to special guest Marian Keyes This podcast was produced by Elissa Ratliff  GET IN TOUCH: Call the PodPhone on 02 8999 9386. Email the show at podcast@mamamia.com.au No Fi

Welcome to our summer series where we play you some of our favourite episodes that you might have missed or might want to revisit.  Sex, drugs and rock and roll. That’s what we used to worry about when it came to the things that would mess up kids. These days the rate of things like teen pregnancy, smoking, drinking and drugs have fallen off a cliff. But they've been replaced with phones, screens, social media and video games, all of which are potentially addictive. David Gillespie knows exactly how we get addicted to these devices and why the addiction looks different in men and women. He joins Mia to talk about what’s happening to our teens and what we can do about it... The regular season of No Filter returns Jan 20th 2020 Click here to subscribe to No Filter. CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman  With thanks to special guest David Gillespie You can purchase David's book here Listen to David's last episode of No Filter here Producer: Elissa Ratliff GET IN TOUCH: Call the PodPhone on 02 8999 9386. Emai

Welcome to our summer series, where we play you some of our favourite episodes that you might have missed or might want to revisit.  A woman’s work is never done. And author Gemma Hartley knows this. Whether she’s at home or in the office, there’s a whole layer of labour done predominantly by women that most men can’t even see. Emotional labour is being the person who notices problems, delegates solutions and makes sure life goes smoothly for everyone around her. It’s noticing there’s barely any milk left and then doing something about it - and changing the toilet paper roll when it’s run out. This work is invisible and exhausting at the same time. And it’s not just something experienced by mothers or women in relationships. A couple of years ago Gemma Hartley wrote an essay about emotional labour after a particularly disastrous Mothers Day. It went viral and it led to her writing a whole book on the subject - Gemma’s book is called Fed Up and she joins me now to talk about it... The regular season of No

For some women, being married to someone who was voted the sexiest man alive might make you feel a little .....well, insecure. Not actress and now author, Elsa Pataky. She's been voted the sexiest person alive many more times than Chris Hemsworth in her native Spain and she jokes that if she's ever feeling low, she jumps on a plane and goes back there for a confidence boost. In this episode, nothing is off-limits with Elsa. She talks to Mia about how becoming a mother has really shifted her ambition, how she met Chris on a blind date and why they decided to move to Byron Bay. Elsa has just released Strong, a new book that talks about her fitness, confidence and how she maintains her healthy lifestyle and it's available online and in bookstores now. Buy Elsa's book here...https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781760782139/ Click here to subscribe to No Filter. CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman  Producer:  Bridget Northeast GET IN TOUCH: Call the PodPhone on 02 8999 9386. Email the show at podcast@mamamia.com.a

When Louisa Hope walked into Sydney’s Lindt Cafe 5 years ago she didn't expect her life would change forever. Louisa is one of the Sydney Siege survivors. She and her mother were held at gunpoint and trapped for 17 hours before the gunman executed cafe manager Tori Johnston on his knees in front of her. Another hostage, Katrina Dawson was killed moments later in gunfire when police stormed the cafe. Louisa joins Mia Freedman to talk through what happened that day and how she feels five years on. Towards the end of the siege, Louisa was shot in the foot and went to The Prince of Wales Hospital where she spent 3 months as a patient. She was so moved by the care and compassion she received there, she decided to create the Louisa Hope Fund for Nurses as part of the Prince of Wales Hospital Foundation. To Donate to the Prince of Wales Hospital Foundation, Louisa Hope Fund for Nurses please visit www.powhf.org.au Click here to subscribe to No Filter. CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman  With thanks to Louisa Hope

For 10 years Nicole Lee and her children were trapped, living with an abusive partner who was also Nicole's primary carer. Nicole uses a wheelchair and what began as a whirlwind romance turned toxic after the birth of their first child. The way out of this prison for Nicole was unexpected and the consequences were life-long for everyone involved. Today, Nicole is a powerhouse in advocacy for women living with a disability and victims of family violence and she joins Mia Freedman in her first podcast interview to tell her story. Nicole wanted to mention that when she uses the word "stupid" in this interview, it was set in the context of her previous relationship and she acknowledges that it can be a very damaging word for many people. This is an ableist slur and is no longer an acceptable word to use. Click here to subscribe to No Filter. CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman  With thanks to special guests to Nicole Lee, you can view her writing here Producer: Eliza Ratliff and  Bridget Northeast GET IN TOUCH:

When you talk to thousands of kids about what they get up to on their phones you learn a lot about the behaviour of kids online. Cybersafety expert Kirra Pendergast has visited schools all over Australia and given talks to more than 500,000 students, teachers and parents about how to stay safe and be smart online. She’s not about bans, guilt trips or making parents feel ashamed or overwhelmed. Kirra is about helping kids and the adults in their lives to protect themselves and avoid exploitation and bullying. She joins Mia Freedman to discuss her own experience with cyberbullying, which led her to start a business that now helps thousands of kids to stay safe on social media. Kirra and Mamamia have created the Safe On Social Toolkit - a resource for anyone who wants to keep their kids safe online. Its an online course made up of short videos you can watch on your phone, that will answer every question you've ever had about how to stay safe and use social media in a positive way. For more information on t

Imagine if your biggest professional rival was also your sister. And imagine if your profession was one of the most unforgiving in the world. Cate and Bronte Campbell have been competing against one another for almost all their lives and yet in 2016, during the 100m freestyle at the Rio Olympics, something went horribly wrong for Cate. What happened next would affect both sisters and change Cate's attitude to swimming for a long time. In this episode, Cate and Bronte join Mia Freedman to discuss the behind-the-scenes reality of their careers as professional swimmers, growing up in Africa before moving to Australia, what it's like to date a professional athlete and how they manage to be each other's greatest rivals and biggest supporters. Click here to subscribe to No Filter. CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman  With thanks to special guests Cate and Bronte Campbell   Producer: Elissa Ratliff If you are after something else to listen to, check out Mia's interview with Leisel Jones GET IN TOUCH: Call the PodP

The day Marguerite Edwards died began like any other day. The family woke up, got their 3 daughters ready for school. Marguerite’s husband Iain headed off to work at his Orthodontist clinic which was a 5-minute drive up the road. Marguerite dropped the girls at high school and went to an aerobics class. It was the ‘80s after all.   But at 6 pm that night Iain got a phone call from his neighbour. Marguerite hadn’t picked the girls up from school, so the neighbour had collected them. When the neighbour had gone to the house to check on her friend Marguerite, she found the front door open and blood visible on the carpet. Iain raced home, entered his house, walked up the stairs to their bedroom and found his precious wife lying on the floor.  At just 41 years old, Marguerite Edwards had been murdered. And life as Iain and his girls knew it, really did change forever... Click here to subscribe to No Filter. CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman  With thanks to special guest Dr Iain Edwards. And if you need help deal

If you’re OK living a life of frequent and often crushing disappointment, you’ll be able to handle a career as a professional cyclist. That’s the advice Dr Bridie O’Donnell was given by a fellow cyclist when she decided to make cycling her career. She was not at the point in her life’s journey where you would expect someone to choose the path of a professional athlete - she was 32 years old, a doctor and, as one coach told her bluntly, she was ‘too old, too fat and too slow' to make it in one of the toughest, most physically and emotionally demanding sports on earth. But she did make it. Bridie became a world record breaker after taking an astonishing leap of faith, with no previous history in the sport, she decided to become an elite cyclist. Click here to subscribe to No Filter. CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman  With thanks to special guest Bridie O'Donnell. Find her book here: https://bit.ly/2kw2Ely  Producer: Elissa Ratliff   This episode of No Filter is brought to you by Go Daddy, your one stop shop