If Ru Paul's Drag Race can have a bonus Christmas episode to promote Ru's new album, then we can share this talk with you! Here's a little bonus episode, a live recording of a keynote given by podcast host, Amy Maiden, who realised that much of the content of then talk covers what she is... you guessed it... asking for.

Kon Karapanagiotidis OAM is the CEO and founder of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. Kon is proudly Greek, growing up in a working class family in a small country town in Victoria. Kon’s personal experience of racism and witnessing the exploitation of his parents in factories planted the seeds for his passion for human rights. Kon went on to become a lawyer, social worker, and teacher. He has been recognised as an Australian of the Year (Victoria) finalist in 2007, was invited to participate in the 2020 Summit in 2008, was voted one of Australia’s 20 Unsung Heroes as part of the launch of the new Portrait Gallery in Canberra in 2008, and was voted as one of Melbourne’s 100 most influential people in The Age Melbourne Magazine. Most recently, Kon was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2010 and an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 2011. Kon has just released his first book The Power of Hope. You can get it here: https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-power-of-hope-kon-karapanagiotidis/prod9781460755136.html?source=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMInODltLaY3AIVwTUrCh05XQe1EAQYASABEgLOlvD_BwE Also you can donate to the ASRC here: https://www.asrc.org.au/ And you can follow Kon's amazing insta here: https://www.instagram.com/halloumitracksuit/

I was feeling cold and miserable until I listened back to this conversation and now I'm delighted to share with you this conversation with Kelly Doley. Kelly is a queer Australian artist, curator and arts worker living on Gadigal land (Sydney). Kelly works across government, cultural venues and the independent arts sector. Her practice explores feminist and queer ways of being, looking and working through making art, research and exhibition making. Visit her website here! http://www.kellydoley.com/ Visit our socials: @askingforitpod on twitter, facebook and insta.

Sara Mansour is a lawyer, spoken word poet and co-founder of Bankstown Poetry Slam, Australia's largest regular spoken word event. An Australian born, Punchbowl-bred Muslim, Sara traverses the political in a personal way in her poetry. Sara has been a Mentor for the Youth Curators as part of the All Day YA Program. She is also a YA Ambassador for the Sydney Writers’ Festival. We sat down at the State Library of NSW and chatted all things poetry, feminism, community and how surprisingly messy living with boys can be.

Amy Campbell is one of Australia’s most accomplished dance talents with a career spanning all areas of the entertainment industry. Her extensive list of credits as one of the country’s top choreographers include the Australian Premiere of the critically acclaimed Violet, for which she won the Broadway World Australia award for her work, ATYP’s sell out season of Spring Awakening, Side Show and Hispanic Attack for the Hayes Theatre (for which she was also the co-creator), the original Australian work Guilty Pleasures for Blue Saint Productions, Wicked for Packemin Productions, Dance Academy, The X Factor, ABC’s Giggle and Hoot and most recently Amy was assistant director on Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s Porgy and Bess. Her clients include ABC, Commonwealth Bank, the Sci-Fi Channel and Deutsche Bank. She was assistant to award winning choreographer Kelley Abbey on Miracle City, Xanadu The Musical, Channel 10′s I Will Survive and Natalie Bassingthwaighte’s live performances and music video of All We Have. Amy’s theatre credits include dance captain and role cover in the Australian tour of Dirty Dancing, Fame The Musical, Saturday Night Fever, the world premiere of King Kong Live on Stage ,principal dancer in Opera Australia’s Carmen and most recently the Resident Choreographer of The Bodyguard Musical Australia. She has appeared in commercials for Sony, Vodafone, Coca Cola, Video Ezy, Sci-Fi Channel, Kmart and was an ambassador for Lorna Jane’s Active Living Campaign. Her other television credits include Everybody Dance Now, placing in the Top 3 on So You Think You Can Dance Australia Season 2, as well as appearing on The X Factor, The Nickelodeon Awards, TV Week Logie Awards, Australia’s Next Top Model, Australia’s Got Talent and The Biggest Loser. You can follow Amy on: insta: @missamycampbell web: https://missamycampbell.com/