No Filter

What do you do when you receive a phone call saying that your daughter has murdered someone? Mary Pershall spent 28 years trying to shield her youngest daughter Anna from her demons. First, it was anorexia, then other mental health issues and later drug use including marijuana and ice. But one act of rage in 2015 changed the course of Anna and her mother's life forever. So how do you deal with the fact your daughter is a murderer? Listen to part two of this conversation where Mia talks to Mary's sister Katie Horneshaw here.  Click here to subscribe to No Filter. CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman  With thanks to special guest Mary K. Pershall. Buy her book Gorgeous Girl here. Producer: Elissa Ratliff GET IN TOUCH: Listen to more No Filter interviews here and follow us on Instagram here. Discover more Mamamia podcasts here. Feedback: podcast@mamamia.com.au Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP. Rate or revie

Tara Westover was 16 when she stepped into a classroom for the first time. She didn’t know how to talk to her peers, had never heard of the Holocaust and thought that she was sitting amongst heathens. Today Tara holds a PHD in intellectual history and political thought from Cambridge University. She’s attended Harvard as a fellow, and has just written her first book, a memoir called Educated. So how did she get here? Click here to subscribe to No Filter. CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman  With thanks to special guest Tara Westover. Producer: Elissa Ratliff GET IN TOUCH: Listen to more No Filter interviews here and follow us on Instagram here. Discover more Mamamia podcasts here. Feedback: podcast@mamamia.com.au Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP. Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, clic

Never has the cliche “truth is stranger than fiction” applied more than to the woman on today's episode. You couldn’t make Susan Francis’s life up - it has too many twists. It begins with an adoption story and the mystery of her biological parents, it includes a secret sister, a heartbreaking confrontation, unexpected love and a series of events that were so dramatic that she had to write them down in a memoir just to make sense of them. It’s called The Love That Remains.  Read an extract of The Love That Remains here.  Listen to part two of Mia's conversation with Susan here.  CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman . You can find Mia on Instagram here Guest: Susan Francis  Producer: Melanie Tait  GET IN TOUCH: Listen to more No Filter interviews here and follow us on Instagram here. Discover more Mamamia podcasts here. Feedback: podcast@mamamia.com.au Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Produce

How do you prepare for prison? How do you tell your young daughters that you aren’t going to see them for a very long time? Kerry Tucker was jailed in 2004 for one of the biggest white-collar crimes committed by a female in Victoria at the time. She’d been stealing money from her employers. She owned up to it, went through the process and spent 4.5 years behind bars in a maximum security prison away from her two daughters. Surprisingly for Kerry, jail was the making of her and she’s written a book all about it... Click here to subscribe to No Filter. CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman  With thanks to special guest Kerry Tucker. Buy her book The Prisoner Producer: Elissa Ratliff GET IN TOUCH: THE END BITS: Listen to more No Filter interviews here and follow us on Instagram here. Discover more Mamamia podcasts here. Feedback: podcast@mamamia.com.au Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP. Rate or r

When you think of a psychopath, you probably imagine someone like serial killer Ivan Milat. But according to David Gillespie, it's more likely to be your boss or your grandma. Five to 10 per cent of the population qualify as psychopathic, and the rate can be as high as 20 per cent among corporate leaders and politicians. So how do you spot them? What do you do if you have to work for or with them, or better yet, date them? Grab a cup of tea and get ready to go ‘OH MY GOD’... THE END BITS Your host is Mia Freedman. With thanks to special guest David Gillespie Find Taming Toxic People: The Science of Identifying and Dealing with Psychopaths at apple.co/mamamia This podcast was produced by Elissa Ratliff  CONTACT US Listen to more No Filter interviews here and follow us on Instagram here. Discover more Mamamia podcasts here. Feedback: podcast@mamamia.com.au Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to

It was an ordinary day on the 30th of July, 1997 in Thredbo, but at 11:35pm the earth moved. Lives were changed and lost in just a few minutes. The Thredbo Landslide happened fast. It hit two ski lodges where 19 people were sleeping. It destroyed the buildings, ripped them off their foundations, and plunged those inside under tonnes of debris and concrete.  For the first two days, we were told that there would be no survivors. However, on the morning of the third day, 66 hours after he was buried, Stuart Diver was found alive. He was the lone survivor of one of the most famous tragedies in Australia’s history.  THE END BITS: With thanks to Stuart Diver  Listen to Stuart's podcast The Elements, wherever you get your pods.  Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/ Check out our No Filter YouTube channel here... https://www.youtube.com/channel/

What were you doing on Boxing Day morning in 2004?  Sarah Ayles was on a beach in Sri Lanka, putting on a mask about to go snorkelling with her business partner and ex-boyfriend, when her life changed forever.  The Boxing Day Tsunami was caused by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean and experts say it had the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs.  227,898 people lost their lives across Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand but Sarah survived. Click here to subscribe to No Filter. Listen to Sam Bloom's inspiring story here: https://omny.fm/shows/no-filter/an-extraordinary-tale-of-tragedy-and-beauty  CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman  With thanks to special guest Sarah Ayles. Producer: Elissa Ratliff GET IN TOUCH: 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.Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the 12th of September, 2018, Australian Academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert was arrested at Tehran’s International Airport in Iran. She spent 804 days incarcerated in Tehran’s Evin and Qarchak prison for espionage, a crime she never committed. She was an innocent Australian stuck in a foreign prison...with no way of getting home. Kylie’s story about her imprisonment, and what happened after she was finally released is unbelievable. Except it really happened. Want more of Kylie? Listen to Mia’s bonus episode with her here. END BITS: With thanks to Kylie Moore Gilbert. Find her book The Uncaged Sky here: https://bit.ly/3DazEDI  Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au Need more lols, info, and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here. Check out our No Filter YouTube channel here. CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman. You can find Mia on Instagram here and get her newsletter here. Producer: Gia Moylan Executive Producer

The last few years of Abi Morgan’s life would make an incredible TV show, although you might not believe it because of the plot twists. One of those twists is that Abi herself is an Emmy-award-winning screenwriter of movies like Iron Lady, with Meryl Streep, and TV dramas like The Split. But nothing could have prepared her for the cascading series of events that began on a very ordinary day. The crescendo of this story is that, after waking up from a coma, Abi's partner of 20 years didn't recognise her. And only her... Listen to the second half of Mia's conversation with Abi here.  THE END BITS: Subscribe to Mamamia With thanks to Abi Morgan You can buy her book This Is Not A Pity Memoir here Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au Need more lols, info, and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here. CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman. You can find Mia on Instagram here and get her newsletter here. Executive Producer: Elissa Ratliff Assistant Producer: Emmeline Peterso

When Louisa Hope walked into Sydney’s Lindt Cafe 10 years ago she didn't expect her life would change forever. Louisa is one of the survivors of the Sydney Siege. 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 joined Mia Freedman for a conversation in 2019 to talk through what happened that day and how she felt five years on. CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman  With thanks to Louisa Hope Producer:  Bridget Northeast GET IN TOUCH: Email the show at podcast@mamamia.com.au No Filter is a podcast by Mamamia. Find more shows hereBecome a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever been love-bombed by a romantic partner only to have them go cold as soon as they’ve snagged you? Have you ever been in a relationship with someone who made you feel crazy because of their ability to seem SO great in front of the neighbours but be SO different behind closed doors? What about a boss who steals your ideas, your thunder and your inspiration…Or a parent who always made your life about them? According to our guest today, chances are you’ve been tussling with a Narcissist. Narcissism is a word that has well and truly entered the zeitgeist but how well do we really understand it? What are the red flags? What do we DO if we realise we’re in a relationship with one? Margi Bowden is a counsellor and coach and, importantly, a Narcissism expert and she has ALL the answers for you. You can learn more about Margi’s work by following her on Instagram Listen to our episode with Patric Gagne about life as a sociopath here Listen to our episode with David G

The Believe in Magic charity was set up by a 16-year-old girl and her mother. Megan and Jean’s charity helped grant wishes to sick children in a make-a-wish sort of way and some kids, including Megan, even got to meet One Direction members.The charity was founded because Megan was diagnosed with a rare brain condition and a few years later a brain tumour. A group of internet sleuths became suspicious after Jean tried to raise money for an emergency trip to see a doctor overseas. So was Megan sick? And if she wasn’t, then how did she die? Journalist Jamie Bartlett has joined Mia for this episode of No Filter, as he got involved later down the track and what he discovered will send shivers. You can hear the second half of Mia's conversation with Jamie here. THE END BITS: Subscribe to Mamamia Jamie's podcast Believe in Magic is available here.  Follow Jamie on Twitter here.  Read Jamie's book The Missing Cryptoqueen here.Complete the survey for a chance to go in the running to win a $5

Cait West was raised inside an fundamentalist Christian patriarchal cult that believed that women should be submissive to men and that girls should be raised to serve their husbands…by first serving their fathers. Until she was 25 years old, Cait was what is referred to as a ‘stay-at-home daughter’ - what exactly does that mean? And how did Cait decide to finally leave? Listen to this timely, important, and deeply empowering conversation to hear Cait’s incredible story - Only on No Filter. You can follow Cait on Instagram here. You can read Cait’s work & find her book “Rift” here. Listen to our episode with Tia Levings about her escape from a religious cult here. Listen to our episode with Megan Agnew about Ballerina Farm & Trad Wives here. If you need to talk to someone about any of the themes and topics in this episode - please reach out to Lifeline on 13 11 14. THE END BITS: Join the Month of MOVEGet $30 off a Mamamia subscription and get unlimited access to our feel-good exercise app. Head here to

[Part 1 of 2] Having one baby is hard. Imagine four! This is the incredible story of Taylah Tudehope-Glachan’s pregnancy and birth with her quadruplets.In Part 1 of Taylah’s tale, she details a roller-coaster fertility struggle; think PCOS, endometriosis and IVF.Plus what it was like discovering her successful transfer had resulted in four babies.You’ll hear about high-risk pregnancy, exactly HOW she fell pregnant with quads, and how she handled her hospitalisation at 24 weeksCan’t wait for part two? You don’t need to! Listen to part two of Taylah’s story here.If you’re a soon-to-be mum of multiples, the Australian Multiple Birth Association is a wonderful resource.Diary Of A Birth features mums telling their miraculous stories of bringing life into the world, and we have all medical questions and concerns cleared up by one of Australia’s favourite paediatricians, Dr Golly.If you’d like to share your birth story, we’d love to hear from you at podcast@mamamia.com.au or send us a voice note here.THE END BITS:Su

Samantha Azzopardi spent 10 years receiving care as a troubled teen. It would be years before the truth came out that she was actually an adult woman.  Her scams stretched decades and impacted families, friends and even children, in Australia and abroad. But it wasn’t money that she wanted…    In this conversation, Mia speaks with investigative journalist Sharon Davis, co-host of the successful podcast Finding Samantha. Sharon worked with colleagues Tim Desmond, Nicoline Greer and Liam O'Brien from RTE in Ireland, tracking Samantha's crimes. What she didn’t expect was the way her own life would become entangled in this story.  Listen to part two of Mia and Sharon's conversation here. THE END BITS: Subscribe to Mamamia With thanks to Sharon Davis - check out the podcast Finding Samantha here. Feedback? We’re listening! Email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au Need more lols, info, and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here. CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman. You can find Mia on Instagram here. Producers: Cass

There’s a reason why behavioural scientist Dr Ali Fenwick is one of the most followed relationship & psychology accounts on social media (and it’s not just his fantastic dancing). In this special episode of No Filter, Clare Stephens explores the real meaning behind the red flags and the green flags we encounter in our relationships with others - from romantic partners to family, the workplace and friendships - Dr Ali Fenwick provides a clear framework for better communication, healthier boundaries, and happier relationships. Do you think you know what to do when you encounter a red flag? Think again: because it turns out, running away isn’t always the best idea. You can follow Dr Ali Fenwick on Instagram here. And you can find his book, Red Flags, Green Flags; Modern Psychology for Everyday Drama, here. Dr. Ali has just launched a master class on red-flags green-flags self-mastery - you can learn more here. THE END BITS: Listen to more of Clare Stephens on the interview podcast But Are You Happy and the c

At the intersection of sex, marketing and the gig economy, you will find Annie Knight, who has been branded ‘Australia’s Most Sexually Active Woman’. Annie is a 27-year-old Brisbane woman who makes her own sex content and sells it to subscribers via Only Fans where she is in the top 0.02% of creators on the platform. Only Fans became wildly popular during the pandemic, with thousands of Australians creating accounts in the hope of converting home made content - usually sexually explicit photos and videos - into cash. But OnlyFans isn’t the golden goose of the gig economy. The vast majority of creators make very little money. And then there’s Annie. So how much does she make? And what exactly does she have to do for it? You can hear the second half of Mia's conversation with Annie here.  THE END BITS: Subscribe to Mamamia Listen to more No Filter interviews here and follow us on Instagram here.Annie Knight is on Instagram here and Tik Tok here. Annie's podcast Double Dose is available here.Watch the ABC docume

For years, Erica Garza struggled with sex and porn addiction - an addiction that had to reach rock bottom before she sought help. Now, Erica Garza is on a mission - she wants to take away the stigma and shame surrounding women who struggle with sex & porn addiction.  How does a habit become an obsession...and an obsession turn into an addiction? And what does recovery look like? (spoiler alert: it doesn't have to mean giving up sex or porn).  In this taboo-smashing conversation, Erica talks with guest host Naima Brown - and leaves no stone unturned.  You can find Erica's website here. If you're someone who's struggling with this sort of addiction, Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (SLAA) can help. In Australia and in the US. THE END BITS: Subscribe to Mamamia Join the Month of MOVEGet $30 off a Mamamia subscription and get unlimited access to our feel-good exercise app. Head here to get a yearly subscription for just $39. Listen to more No Filter interviews here and follow us on Instagram here. Discover more

Simmone Jade McKinnon was - and is, to many - Stevie from McLouds Daughters. She joined that iconic Australian show fresh from another era-defining TV moment, Baywatch, with a Hollywood star fiancé on her arm and a creative career in full flight. And then everything changed. Simmone and her son Madigan have been living in a caravan and then a shed in her family’s back paddock for the best part of a decade. She’s been making ends meet with carer’s subsidy, odd jobs like jillaroo and by starting her own small business. When she decided to step out of a dark time and back in front of a camera for a reality show earlier this year it was very clearly with one goal in mind - the prize money. On this episode, the first MID conversation about money, you'll hear how all that's been going for Simmone. And you’ll hear what it was like to be on one of the biggest shows in the world and get fired for what you refused to do in lingerie on a beach. How she came back from crippling panic attacks during a high-profile break-u

In this special episode of No Filter, Mia Freedman shares a story about a very vulnerable time in her life...when she was dealing with big life challenges around marriage and fertility and career...and what happened when the place she went for help turned out to be, well, a cult.  THE END BITS: Subscribe to Mamamia Join the Month of MOVEGet $30 off a Mamamia subscription and get unlimited access to our feel-good exercise app. Head here to get a yearly subscription for just $39. Listen to more No Filter interviews here and follow us on Instagram here. Discover more Mamamia podcasts here. Feedback: podcast@mamamia.com.au Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP. Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review.   CREDITS: Host: Mia Freedman You can find Mia on Instagram here and ge