Are mindfulness apps bad for mental health? And a John Farnham musical takes the stage

Handling difficult people and a decline in high school graduation: How to get the people who don't respect your boundaries and generally make you feel terrible out of your life. And is our school system set up so that all students have the best chance of making it all the way through? by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

Healthcare outside the city: If you're in the city, you usually have access to specialists, hospitals, GPs, and allied health. It may not always be cheap, or immediate, or local, but it is available. When you head out to rural, regional, and remote Australia, how does that story change? by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

Is it time to do away with marriage plus new approaches to drug use: Advocates say that treating drug use as a crime rather than a health issue is causing the waiting lists for drug treatment programs to reach epic proportions and are calling for a new national approach. And is the institution of marriage still fit for our modern lives? by Life Matters - Full program podcast

54 min listen

The age of retirement: The age to access the age pension has increased to 67 years old, with some reports suggesting it will eventually need to rise to 70. Should age be the only thing that defines our access to the age pension, or do we need to think about other factors, like occupation and means testing? by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

Staying in touch with your erotic side, and what's in a name?: How have you been able to improve the sexual relationship you have with yourself? Plus, why are we so sentimental about names? by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

Taking workplace trauma seriously, plus COVID teenagers: Understanding the growing phenomenon of workplace trauma, plus how our obsession with taking photos of food is impacting our relationship to eating, and COVID kids: the teenage years. by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

Learning to value our friendships: As we experience both the happy and sad events of our lives, not only do our friends ground us and comfort us, they also teach us valuable lessons. What are some of the life lessons that come from our friendships? And do we always value them enough? Also, can you uninvite someone to your wedding? by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

GriefTok, Roe versus Wade, then Musk versus Zuck: What can GriefTok teach us about death? The fallout of Roe v Wade, one year on. Plus, why do men keep resorting to public violence to settle disputes, and why do people enjoy watching? by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

The 10th anniversary of the NDIS: When the bill to create the NDIS was first introduced, the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, said that the scheme would "transform the lives of people with disability, their families and carers." But with a major review currently under way, the Minister, Bill Shorten, has expressed concerns, stating that "the NDIS is not what it should be." How has the NDIS impacted people's lives ten years on? by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

Parenting different personalities and using AI at work: When you have more than one child, managing their individual dispositions can be quite a dance. How do you manage each of your child's needs without favouritism? And, is there a way your parents did it that worked well or not so well for you? Also, if you've found a way to use AI to make your work easier, do you have to tell your boss? by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

Combatting climate change apathy, power of attorney planning: Dealing with our feelings about bad climate change news. Plus making sure powers of attorney are not used against older people, and how COVID amplified the negative effects of social media for primary school children. by Life Matters - Full program podcast

54 min listen

Preventing Indigenous suicide, and when it's ok for kids to play rough: Indigenous suicide rates are higher than the national average, but tackling the problem often ignores cultural context and community. We meet Australian Mental Health Prize winner Professor Maree Toombs, a Euahlayi and Kooma woman developing community-led interventions that work. We look at how recipes, flavours and food place us in long lineages and connect us to our culture. Plus, we learn when it's ok for kids to play rough. by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

Managing the cost of childcare and 'death cleaning': How are parents managing the rising cost of childcare? Then, learning the Swedish art of death cleaning. Plus, can a country town survive without a pub? by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

Children in public spaces, donating in tough times: South Korea is creating spaces where children are excluded completely - is that a useful or fair thing to do? Plus the importance of giving when times are tough, and for NAIDOC week, marking 21 years of live prison radio with Beyond the Bars. by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

Men taking testosterone, how to age happily: Some men are using testosterone therapy in the hopes it will make them healthier, but do they really need it? Plus how the suit became such a staple in our wardrobes, and a look at ageing through the lens of life satisfaction and happiness, rather than focusing on longevity. by Life Matters - Full program podcast

54 min listen

How to find your chosen family: For some of us, our families of origin might show up the way we need them to. But, if that's not the case, we may have found a group of friends we feel more 'at home' with than anyone else. How do we go about finding these 'chosen families', and how do we continue to nourish them as we age? Also, if your partner isn't picking up their share of the domestic load, how do you confront them about it? by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

Big questions about fatherhood: A proposed new law in Israel would allow the parents of soldiers who die at war to retrieve sperm from their deceased sons' bodies to create 'future grandchildren'. What are the ethical considerations at play? And in the first episode of Modern Dads, Hugh van Cuylenburg talks to Professor Rob Moodie about the small triumphs and big lessons of fatherhood. by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

Should the government fund major sporting events: The Victorian Government cited a massive cost blowout when it withdrew from hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games, but does this signal an end to major sporting events in Australia, or is it specific to these Games? by Life Matters - Full program podcast

54 min listen

Psychedelic assisted therapy: Soon, some patients will be able to get treatments for PTSD and treatment resistant depression using a psychedelic drug and psychotherapy in combination. by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

Containing work stress: When you come home, how do you go just shedding all the stress related to work at the front door? If the work-life boundary gets blurry, it can have really bad impacts on our mental and physical wellbeing, so what can we do to reduce work stress? Also, how to handle a friend who's a troll. by Life Matters - Full program podcast

54 min listen

Are mindfulness apps bad for mental health? And a John Farnham musical takes the stage: Mental health and mindfulness apps are one of the fastest growing sectors of the trillion dollar wellness market but how likely are they to do what they're promising? And could they actually make your symptoms worse? And a musical in which three different John Farnhams travel back in time to teach you about their lives. by Life Matters - Full program podcast

54 min listen

'Trauma on a page' The Royal Commission into the robodebt scheme hands down its report: "Robodebt was a crude and cruel mechanism, neither fair nor legal, and it made many people feel like criminals." That was the scathing assessment by Commissioner Catherine Holmes in her overview of the Royal Commission into the robodebt scheme. Will the recommendations in the commission's report prevent something similar from happening in the future? by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

Challenging the body mass index, are we really less kind?: Experts are beginning to turn away from the body mass index as a measure of health. Why is it seen as problematic and what's the alternative? Plus preserving our digital history, and what makes us think people are becoming more unkind? by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

Treating concussion in children, plus the no wash movement: New guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of childhood concussion, plus we take a look at the no-wash movement, and a new campaign to keep young people safe on social media. by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

Can you learn to manage your fear?: When we're confronted by new challenges, it's our primeval response to feel fear. To want to back off. But is it good for us to try new things? And are there ways we can learn to better understand and outsmart our automatic reaction to fear? Also, what do you do if your futsal teammate is so intense, he's ruining the game for everyone? by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

How to spot poisonous food, swimming in your city river and the science of sound baths: Food poisoning can be debilitating and in some cases, even fatal. So how can you help figure out what made you ill? Learn how urban swimmers are pushing cities to clean up their rivers, and how sound baths can ease stress and pain. by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

The dark legacy of forced adoption: What would it take to heal the wounds of forced adoption? This year marks a decade since the national apology for Australia's forced adoption practices, but some of those affected believe that justice has never truly been served. by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

Protecting whistleblowers, men opening up to other men: What protections would you like to see for people who call out misconduct? Plus surveys show Gen Z workers often don't have the tech skills for the job. And The Mens Table is bringing men together to talk about their feelings, build connections and combat social isolation. by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

When is time to graduate from therapy?: In most cases, therapy isn't supposed to be forever, but how do you know it's really time to end that special relationship? We look at how often people leave earlier than they should, and why that personal relationship can make finishing difficult. Plus, author Kate Mildenhall peels back the curtain on those author endorsements you see on book covers, and learn how doodling can improve your mental health and focus with artist Tamara Michael. by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

Fixing the housing crisis, plus the power of libraries: Who should pay to fix the housing crisis? Then, are individual virtues ruining our democracy? Plus, the power of libraries. by Life Matters - Full program podcast

55 min listen

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Are mindfulness apps bad for mental health? And a John Farnham musical takes the stage

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