Conversations

Grant Edwards won the title of The Strongest Man in Australia for four years in a row by pulling trains, planes, trucks and ships. At work, he fought child exploitation and human trafficking. But while protecting others, Grant forgot to look after himself

Roger Pulvers lived an adventurous life in the Soviet Union, Japan and Poland, before he chose a whole new identity in 1976

A severe spinal injury could not crush Dinesh Palipana's drive to become a doctor (R)

Robert Raven puts aside his long-held fear of spiders to collect them and uncover hundreds of new species. (R)

Faye McLeod took on a stage name when she became a performer, and followed her star to the UK in the 1960s (R)

When Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were executed by the Indonesian Government, their lawyer of 9 years was not far away. Theirs are among the deaths which continue to drive Julian’s efforts to have capital punishment abolished worldwide

Historian Billy Griffiths on the complex history of Australia's indigenous archaeology

John on what he's learned in more than 30 years as an educator, parent, and founder and principal of Candlebark and Alice Miller schools

At 59, Michael became a 'reluctant psychonaut'. While on LSD he felt his sense of self disintegrate into a storm of Post-it notes

As a child, the superstar swim coach lived with a chronic lung condition, and had part of a lung removed. In 1956, a huge event held in his family's backyard changed the course of his life

Louise Burton has worked with the Royal Flying Doctor Service Qld for twenty years

Hugh White on the conundrum of how Australia can defend itself in the Asian century

Psychologist Jessica Grisham on working with people whose wellbeing is threatened by their attachment to 'stuff' (R)

Sound designer and naturalist Douglas Quin makes field recordings from everywhere on Earth and uses them to create soundscapes for film and tv, galleries and museums

From Antarctica to Arnhem Land, the pages of the books of this prolific author and illustrator are fuelled by adventure (R)

Jan’s work as a champion of young people has its roots in her own story (R)

Barbara Laidlaw pieces together the mystery of what her parents endured as internees in Hong Kong (R)

Bernie was a wild teenager who became a jackeroo and a dingo trapper. Then he began helping kids in trouble (R)

As a child Trent was a quiet observer of the drama of his family and his neighbourhood. He grew up to become an award-winning writer (R)

Bricklaying takes him around the world as a teacher and expert, but Troy Everett still finds deep satisfaction in laying bricks

Stephanie Wood was an acclaimed newspaper journalist when she fell for a romantic fraudsterStephanie Wood was a successful and well-travelled journalist when she met a sweet man online.They spent many romantic weekends away and discussed a future where they would live together in the country.But after months of his last minute cancellations and no shows, Stephanie finally ended the relationship.What she discovered next was a shocking tale of deceit and manipulation.Once she began telling her story, Stephanie realised there were hundreds of other women just like her.Further informationFake is published by PenguinTo 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.

After decades as a marine ecologist, Pia Winberg began her own seaweed farm. One ordinary working day there was a terrible accident

Mandy Sayer has uncovered the history of a thriving Gypsy community (R)

Left totally blind by treatment he received as a premature baby, Ron credits technology, love, and good timing with his success in life and the law

When she rode her motorbike solo across the Silk Road, Heather thought she had nothing to lose. Her HIV positive diagnosis was far more serious in the 1990s than it is today

Zak Grieve was 19 when he was found guilty of murder, although the judge said he wasn't at the scene of the crime. Steven Schubert tells his story

The astounding fate of Narcisse Pelletier, taken in by the people of Night Island after being abandoned on the coast of far north Queensland in 1858

After a stroke at age 31, Lavinia Codd lost part of her memory, and half her vision. Then she became fascinated by her brain's ability to regenerate (R)

'Becardiganed polymath' Robin Ince on the fascinating brains of stand-up comics

Patrice Newell was a model and a TV host before she began again as a biodynamic farmer

Richard Tognetti was a boy when he first showed a brilliant talent for playing the violin. But in the town where he grew up, his talent made him a target

Angela Hamilton was raised by a tyrannical father, who terrorised his family. Decades later, she found out the truth about what he'd done during WWII

How a shy Mormon girl named Sharon became Poh Ling Yeow (R)

Australia through the eyes of The New York Times Australia bureau chief, Damien Cave

Chasing the back beat and adventures in wide open spaces, Rob remains essentially the same as the boy he was (R)

After treating a patient named Anna, Sharonne Zaks saw the power relationship with her patients differently. She developed a new branch of dentistry to help care for survivors of sexual assaultSharonne Zaks grew up in a family of dentists, and when she too became a dentist, she developed an empathetic relationship with her patients, never judging them even if they'd avoided the dentist for years.After some years, a patient named Anna profoundly changed Sharonne's understanding of a patient's experience in the dentist's chair.She realised that for those who've been through a sexual assault or trauma, the extreme powerlessness of being treated at the dentist can be highly triggering.Sharonne undertook study into the area, and began a new regime to treat survivors in her own practice.She then began explaining what she'd found about the power dynamic between dentist and patient, to her own profession.Further informationWatch Sharonne's video about finding a dentist you can trustSee all Sharonne's videosTo 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, singers, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Eight stories exploring the pleasures and perils of water

Barrie unearths a family wartime secret after fifty years (R)

Alex Landragin was born into a champagne-making family in the French village of Verzenay. When he was five, his family began a new life in Australia. Then a freak accident changed everything.

Esther is a therapist who spent years studying intimacy, monogamy and sexuality. She became the world's most well-known expert on modern loveWhen Esther was a teenager she was voraciously curious about human behaviour.She thought she'd become a journalist or a translator, but instead she grew up to become the world's most famous contemporary psychotherapist.Esther became known around the world after the release of her podcast "Where Should We Begin?" in which she counsels real-life couples who are on the brink of marital breakdown.In her sessions she's often exploring the tension between the need for security in a relationship, and the need for some distance and a sense of adventure, to keep the spark alive.Esther says when you choose a partner you choose a story, and by doing so, you're often recruited for a part you never expected to play.Further informationThe State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity is published by Yellow Kite BooksListen to the podcast Where Should We Begin?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, singers, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

The story of family bonds so strong that one couple gave their child to another, to be raised in a country far away

The matriarch of La Mama on life in and out of Melbourne’s beloved theatre

Dulcie Markham was one of the most notorious characters of Sydney in the 1930s, but many of her lovers met a grisly end

Lynne Kelly became a senior memory champion after she began researching ancient ways of transforming landscapes, objects and the human body into 'memory palaces.'

In the dying days of the Vietnam War, hundreds of orphans were airlifted from Saigon to safety. Ian Shaw tells the story of two Australian women at the heart of Operation Babylift

Demystifying the art of talk therapy and the complex relationship between therapist and patientPsychotherapy, also known as 'the talking cure', is based on a profound and usually ongoing connection between a person and their therapist.This type of work, often dealing with long buried events or feelings, can be transformative for patients.Gill Straker has a lifetime of experience as a psychotherapist, in Australia and in her birthplace, South Africa.Her work counselling victims of brutality and trauma during the apartheid regime was fundamental to her ongoing practice.At the heart of every successful therapeutic session, says Gill, is a willingness to be present, open, and to learn from each other.She encourages people to include the health of their minds as well as their bodies, when looking to improve their wellbeing.Further informationThe Talking Cure by Professor Gillian Straker and Dr Jacqui Winship is published by MacmillanGill is a clinical professor in the School of Psychology at Sydney UniversityTo 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, singers, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Tony became an actor against his mother's wishes. Three decades later, he won the part of a lifetime (R)

Travelling the world in pursuit of language and exploring its uses, abuses and transformation

Sally Young unearthed a culture of 'dog does not eat dog' as she wrote a history of Australia's newspaper barons

Gina Perry uncovers the strange story behind a controversial psychological experiment (R)