In the first ever Book Club episode of A Podcast of One’s Own, Julia and co-host Sarah Holland-Batt delve into Australian author Anna Funder’s new work Wifedom.

Wifedom tells the untold story of Eileen O'Shaughnessy and her marriage to George Orwell, one of the most famed English writers of all time.

Funder recreates the Orwell’s’ marriage, taking readers through the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War in London.

Eileen’s story has been largely ignored by the history books, and as Funder shows, sometimes even rewritten by biographers of Orwell.

Julia and Sarah discuss Funder’s unique style of writing, how women get written out of history, how Eileen’s experience resonates with women today, and how fans of Orwell’s work can reconcile that with his personal behaviour.

Show notes:

• Wifedom by Anna Funder is published by Penguin and available at all good bookstores. https://www.penguin.com.au/books/wifedom-9780143787112

• Find out more about co-host Sarah Holland-Batt here: https://www.sarahhollandbatt.com/

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In this episode, Julia sits down with activist, sexual consent champion and a voice for her generation, Chanel Contos. Chanel was a catalyst for transforming how consent education works in Australia. In 2021, aged just 22, she sparked a national media storm when she exposed the alarming level of sexual assault in Sydney private schools. From here, the “Teach Us Consent” Campaign was born –  an online petition asking for sexual consent education in Australian schools, which quickly gained more than 44,000 signatures supported by over 6,500 testimonies of sexual assault. And less just a year later in 2022, this ground-breaking campaign resulted in fundamental changes to the Australian curriculum when holistic and age-appropriate consent education was introduced in every school, across every age group.

Chanel takes us through this whirlwind journey – from that first day back in 2021, up until today, and reflects on everything she’s been up to along the way. From publishing her first book, Consent Laid Bare, to her work with young changemakers as the Chair of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership's Youth Committee. She and Julia talk activist burnout, how to engage everyone (especially young men and boys) in the conversation around consent, their optimism for the future and why it’s so important to be ruthless with systems and kind with people if we want to achieve lasting cultural change.

CW: This episode covers themes of consent and sexual violence, and parts of this conversation may be distressing for some listeners. If this brings up anything for you, help is available by contacting the 24-hour national counselling service 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

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In the final episode of 2023, Julia takes a look back at the incredible conversations of Season 5.

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Sam Mostyn has had a formidable career in executive positions, working across business, sport, climate change, the arts, policy and not for profit.

She recently led the Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce, and was the first woman AFL Commissioner, where she spearheaded the creation of a women’s league. 

Now Sam is taking over from Julia as Chair of Beyond Blue, Australia’s leading mental health support service.

In this episode, Julia and Sam discuss mental health, gender equality and how women can succeed in what is often still very much a man’s world.

Show notes

• If you need mental health support visit Beyond Blue | 24/7 Support for Anxiety, Depression and Suicide Prevention
• If you need crisis support call Lifeline on 13 11 14

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Elly Desmarchelier is a proud disabled woman who uses her voice to advocate for the 1 in 5 Australians living with disability. 

Elly was the public face of a national campaign to maintain and defend the integrity of Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme, taking the fight all the way to Parliament House in Canberra.

Elly and Julia discuss the barriers and discrimination Elly has faced and overcome throughout her life, and her determination to pave a smoother path for the next generation.

Show notes: You can find out more about Australia's Disability Royal Commission at: Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability

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In this episode, Julia is joined by music legend, humanitarian and activist, Annie Lennox. Hailed as one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone, Annie has won more Brit Awards than any other female artist in history, sold over 80 million records worldwide as a solo artist and in Eurythmics with Dave Stewart and was named "the most successful female British artist in UK music history" by the Official Charts Company in June 2013.  

In 2011, Annie was awarded an OBE for her contribution towards combating HIV/AIDS as it affects women and children in Africa and in 2008, she founded the global women’s rights organisation, The Circle.

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Turia Pitt is the epitome of determination and grit.

She’s been defying expectations ever since she was caught in a grassfire at 24, suffering burns to 65% of her body.

Surviving against overwhelming odds, she’s rebuilt her life and is now a business owner, writer, motivational speaker and Mum.

Julia and Turia discuss the day that changed her life forever, how she forged a new path for herself and the gender inequality that persists in Australia.

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Angela Rayner is the Deputy Leader of the British Labour Party. She has a remarkable life story, which she shared with Julia at a live event hosted by The Global Institute for Women's Leadership at King's College London.

In this episode, you'll hear that conversation, recorded live from the event. Angela not only spoke to Julia about her own life, but they also discussed the gendered barriers on the political frontline and what a general election in the United Kingdom would mean for women.

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When the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 2021 after two decades of democratic rule, the world watched in horror. Despite initial promises that women would be able to exercise their rights within Sharia Law, the Taliban has systematically excluded women and girls from public life.

In the months that have followed, the situation has only grown more desperate for Afghanistan’s women, who now live under one of the most restrictive regimes in the world. They are unable to access secondary education, travel without a male relative, and even more recently have been banned from attending universities and working for aid organisations, further erasing professional and public opportunities.

To keep the spotlight on this worsening crisis – which is only being compounded by economic sanctions and the near-total isolation of Afghanistan in a global context – The Global Institute for Women’s Leadership hosted a conversation about women’s rights under the Taliban. In this episode, you’ll hear that discussion, recorded live from the event at King’s College London.

For this conversation, Julia sat down with Zahra Joya, journalist and founder of Rukhshana Media, an organisation that tells the stories of Afghan women globally; Christina Lamb, the Chief Foreign Correspondent for The Sunday Times; Paula Kweskin, a filmmaker and attorney specialising in international humanitarian and human rights law; and Sveto Muhammad Ishoq, a women's rights activist, TEDx speaker and social entrepreneur.

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Gayle Tzemach Lemmon is an author of three New York Times best-selling books: The Dressmaker of Khair Khana, about a young entrepreneur who supported her community under the Taliban, Ashley's War, which follows a special ops unit of women in the US army, and The Daughters of Kobani, the extraordinary story of the women in the Kurdish militia that took on ISIS and won.

She serves as a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and, as a journalist, has written on women's entrepreneurship, forced marriage and women in the military for outlets including The New York Times, The Financial Times, The World Bank, The Atlantic and CNN.

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In this special episode of A Podcast of One’s Own, we take you inside Julia’s sold out Sydney Writers’ Festival event at the Sydney Town Hall with Indira Naidoo.

More than a decade on from what is now known as the Misogyny Speech, Julia and Indira discuss the speech’s origins, where we are today and the future for women leaders. 

The event was recorded live by the ABC’s Compass program, which is hosted by Indira.

Show notes 

• You can watch Compass with Indira Naidoo at Compass : ABC iview
• Julia Gillard’s book Not Now, Not Ever: Ten years on from the misogyny speech is available to purchase at Not Now, Not Ever by Julia Gillard - Penguin Books Australia
• More information about the Sydney Writers’ Festival can be found at Sydney Writers' Festival (swf.org.au)

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