I've done a lot of yarns on this podcast. This one went somewhere I've never taken a conversation before.

Sam Johnson grew up in Glebe, raised by the aunties who made sure he was safe when there wasn't much else. He was 18, living on his own, being aged out of a system that had already taken his sister, when he worked out the only door left to him was one he'd have to open himself. He topped his school in legal studies. Then he graduated and was homeless.

Today he runs a 100 per cent Aboriginal-owned agency working on the very systems he came up through, and he's putting money back into our young people.

We got into things I wasn't expecting. Where violence in this country actually began. Why our men were taken, and what it means that they're coming back. What his father asked for once and was refused, six months before they came for his daughter on a Friday night.

And then Sam asked if he could leave us with a poem.

Some of what we talk about in this episode is heavy. If it brings anything up for you, 13YARN is 13 92 76 and Lifeline is 13 11 14.

RESOURCES AND LINKS

Sam Johnson
Impact Policy: https://www.impactpolicy.com.au
Impact Policy Podcast: https://shows.acast.com/impact-policy
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-alderton-johnson

Amy McQuire
Dr Amy McQuire is a Darumbal and South Sea Islander journalist whose work covers the disappearance and killing of Aboriginal women and children, and how media reporting shapes who gets seen as a victim.
Black Witness, published by UQP
Curtain The Podcast, co-hosted with Martin Hodgson, on the BlakCast Network: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/curtain-the-podcast/id1164804753
Substack: https://amymcquire.substack.com

Also mentioned
The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson, written and directed by Leah Purcell
Sherele Moody, Australian Femicide Watch: https://australianfemicidewatch.org
Barnardos Australia: https://www.barnardos.org.au

Support
13YARN: 13 92 76
Lifeline: 13 11 14
1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732

Website: www.blackmagicwoman.com.au
Follow us on Instagram - @blackmagicwomanpodcast

If you enjoyed this episode, please 'Subscribe' on Apple Podcasts or 'Follow' on your Spotify app and tell your friends and family about us! If you'd like to contact us, please email, [email protected]

Black Magic Woman is produced by BlakCast.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Want this conversation before anyone else? Become a BlakCast Patreon member for early access to new episodes, ad free listening, and exclusive bonus content. Join at Patreon.com/BlakCastNetwork

It's National Missing Persons Week, and this yarn is one of the most important I have had on Black Magic Woman.

When Ginny Jones' little brother Jai didn't come home, her family knew something wasn't right. What happened next, and how fast our mob mobilised when the systems that were meant to help stood still, became the reason The Disappeared Project exists today.

The Disappeared Project is Australia's first Aboriginal-led organisation walking beside families whose loved ones have been disappeared. They stand with families through police, media and community searches, they are building the first First Nations-led database of our disappeared people, and they are working to change the way our people are spoken about and searched for. It is work that should have existed decades ago, carried right now by volunteers.

I sit down with co-founders Ginny Jones and Kevin Yow Yeh for a yarn about love, grief, and what our communities build when we refuse to let each other be forgotten.

This is a heavy yarn, and an important one. Please look after yourself as you listen.

If anything in this episode brings things up for you, please reach out. 13YARN 13 92 76 for First Nations peoples, and Lifeline 13 11 14.

To learn more about The Disappeared Project, follow them on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook, or visit thedisappearedproject.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheDisappearedProject

Justice for Monique

Monique Clubb, a proud Butchulla and Woppaburra woman, disappeared in June 2013 after travelling from Hervey Bay to Brisbane. Her family are petitioning the Queensland Minister for Police and the Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service to offer a $1 million reward for information leading to the recovery of her remains. Sign and share the petition: change.org

Website: www.blackmagicwoman.com.au

Follow us on Instagram - @blackmagicwomanpodcast

If you enjoyed this episode, please ‘Subscribe’ on Apple Podcasts or ‘Follow’ on your Spotify app and tell your friends and family about us! If you’d like to contact us, please email, [email protected]

Black Magic Woman is produced by BlakCast.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Want this conversation before anyone else? Become a BlakCast Patreon member for early access to new episodes, ad free listening, and exclusive bonus content. Join at Patreon.com/BlakCastNetwork

There are community legal services for so many of us. For women. For elders. For people with disability. For refugees. For mob navigating the justice system. But when Sarah Ibrahim went looking for one built for race and racism, there wasn't a single one in this whole country. So she built it herself.

In this yarn I sit down with Sarah, an Egyptian-Australian lawyer, human rights advocate and the founder of the Racial Justice Centre, the first community legal service in Australia dedicated entirely to racial justice. Sarah came to this country carrying the knowledge of what it means to move between worlds, and she has spent nearly seventeen years using the law to fight for people who've been told their story doesn't count.

This yarn goes places I didn't expect. Sarah is doing some of the most important work happening in this country right now, and after this one, you'll understand why I wanted her voice on this podcast.

Resources and Links

Racial Justice Centre: https://www.racialjustice.au
Follow the Racial Justice Centre on Instagram: @racialjustice.au
Central Lawyers (Sarah's commercial law firm): https://www.centrallawyers.com.au

If this yarn brought things up for you, please reach out to 13YARN on 13 92 76, a free and confidential service where you can yarn with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander crisis supporter.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Want this conversation before anyone else? Become a BlakCast Patreon member for early access to new episodes, ad free listening, and exclusive bonus content. Join at Patreon.com/BlakCastNetwork

I didn't know Akala Newman's full story before we sat down to yarn. And I think that's exactly why this conversation hit me the way it did.

Akala is a proud Wiradjuri and Gadigal woman from Sydney. A performer, songwriter, educator, and cultural producer who has been creating on her own terms since day one. She opened the Sydney Opera House New Year's Eve fireworks with her song Calling Country and is the founder of Gili Gatherings. 

But this yarn wasn't about any of that. Not really.

It was about duality. About what it costs to move between worlds every single day. About the exhaustion of code-switching, of always being surveilled, of being Black no matter how light-skinned you are or how many spaces you are invited into.

It was about her dad, and the sacrifices he made. About the nephews and nieces she wants to look up one day and think, I can do this too. About art as the thing that holds it all together when the cycle of trauma feels impossible to break.

Akala Newman is on a rise. And this yarn is just the beginning.

Resources and Links

Akala Newman — akalanewman.com
Gili Gatherings — follow @giligatherings on Instagram

Website: www.blackmagicwoman.com.au

Follow us on Instagram - @blackmagicwomanpodcast

If you enjoyed this episode, please ‘Subscribe’ on Apple Podcasts or ‘Follow’ on your Spotify app and tell your friends and family about us! If you’d like to contact us, please email, [email protected]

Black Magic Woman is produced by BlakCast.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She left a high-flying career at Google to start a drinks company. Three years later, she's on shelves at Dan Murphy's, on Amazon, and secured a $125,000 investment from a Shark Tank judge.

Tara Croker is a proud Wiradjuri woman and founder of Yaala Sparkling, an Indigenous-owned beverage company using native Australian botanicals to create premium alcohol-free drinks. In this yarn, Tara opens up about the moment she realised the native food industry was worth billions and Indigenous people made up almost none of the ownership, and how that became the fire behind her business.

She talks candidly about the highs and lows of building something from scratch, the mentors who believed in her before she believed in herself, and her Shark Tank journey from application to deal. It's a conversation about purpose, resilience, and backing yourself.

Resources and Links
Yaala Sparkling: yaalasparkling.com

Website: www.blackmagicwoman.com.au

Follow us on Instagram - @blackmagicwomanpodcast

If you enjoyed this episode, please ‘Subscribe’ on Apple Podcasts or ‘Follow’ on your Spotify app and tell your friends and family about us! If you’d like to contact us, please email, [email protected]

Black Magic Woman is produced by BlakCast.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this yarn, I sit down with Sharon Winsor, a proud Ngemba Weilwan woman from Western NSW and the founder of Indigiearth, one of Australia's most awarded Aboriginal-owned businesses. For 30 years Sharon has been sharing First Nations food, knowledge, and culture with the world, not from ambition, but from a deep connection to Country and a knowing that this knowledge belongs to all of us.

We talk about building a business from scratch, the fight to keep culture at the centre of an industry that has largely shut First Nations people out, and why less than 2% of Australia's native food industry is owned by First Nations people. We also get into the moment Sharon nearly skipped an awards night and ended up winning the Bill Granger Trailblazer Award without knowing she was even nominated.

Resources and Links

Indigiearth: www.indigiearth.com.au Australian Native Food Festival at Carriageworks: https://carriageworks.com.au/events/australian-native-food-festival/ Support First Nations businesses: www.supplynation.org.au

Website: www.blackmagicwoman.com.au

Follow us on Instagram - @blackmagicwomanpodcast

If you enjoyed this episode, please ‘Subscribe’ on Apple Podcasts or ‘Follow’ on your Spotify app and tell your friends and family about us! If you’d like to contact us, please email, [email protected]

Black Magic Woman is produced by BlakCast.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Mental Fitness Conversations, host Mundanara Bales sits down with proud Gamilaraay man, founder of Walkabout Barber and community wellbeing advocate Brian Dowd for a deeply honest yarn about mental fitness, identity, vulnerability and the power of truly listening to people.

Known to many as “The Walkabout Barber”, Brian shares how a simple haircut can become something much bigger, a moment where people feel safe enough to open up, be heard and feel seen beyond the surface. Through Walkabout Barber and the Walkabout Wellbeing Aboriginal Corporation, Brian is creating spaces where conversations happen naturally, stigma is broken down and people are supported to help themselves.

Together, Brian and Mundanara explore what it means to look after people, especially young people, by giving them a voice, listening without judgement and helping build the confidence to feel comfortable in their own skin. Brian speaks powerfully about “wearing two uniforms in life”, reminding listeners that the most important one is the skin you wake up in every day.

Brian also opens up about fatherhood, supporting his autistic son and caring for his mother after her stroke. His reflections on grief, purpose, vulnerability and community are raw, compassionate and deeply human.

This episode is a reminder that everyone’s story is worthwhile, everyone matters and sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is stop, listen and ask someone if they’re okay.

Resources and links
Find out more about Gotcha4Life at www.gotcha4life.org and follow us on Instagram and Facebook @gotcha4life and on Instagram @blackmagicwomanpodcast.

Follow the Walkabout Barber on Instagram @walkaboutbarber

About the podcast
Hosted by award-winning Indigenous businesswoman and Gotcha4Life Board Member Mundanara Bayles, and produced in partnership with Black Magic Woman, Mental Fitness Conversations centres First Nations voices in powerful conversations about culture, connection and what truly sustains mental fitness.

Content note
This episode includes discussion of mental health challenges which may be confronting. Please practise self-care and reach out if you need support. Services available 24/7 include 13YARN on 13 92 76 and Lifeline on 13 11 14.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dylan Voller is a Ngarrindjeri man, hip hop artist, and advocate from Alice Springs, now based in Sydney. In 2016, footage of Dylan as a seventeen year old, hooded and strapped to a restraint chair inside the Don Dale Youth Detention Centre, aired on the ABC's Four Corners program, went around the world, and sparked a Royal Commission into the protection and detention of children in the Northern Territory.

But Dylan is more than that footage, and this yarn is proof.

I sat down with Dylan for an honest, unfiltered conversation about growing up fast, what it meant to be a young blakfulla inside a system built to punish rather than protect, and what it has taken to rebuild a life on his own terms. Dylan talks about his big sister, the first person who truly believed in him. He talks about music as survival, writing poems inside and watching them find their way into the published anthology Fire Front: First Nations Poetry and Power Today alongside Archie Roach and some of this country's most powerful Aboriginal voices. He talks about the grassroots work nobody claps for, the burnout of being pushed before you're ready, the slow and hard road of healing from trauma, and the young ones in his community who inspire him just as much as he inspires them.

He also speaks plainly about what the statistics mean when you've lived inside them, and why he refuses to let the media's version of his story be the last word.

This is a yarn about resilience, family, music, and what it looks like to keep going when the world has already written you off.

Dylan's music is available on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. Follow him on Instagram: @dylan_voller_

If this episode raised anything for you, support is available. Call 13YARN on 13 92 76, a 24/7 crisis support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Lifeline is also available on 13 11 14.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, I yarn with proud Dulguburra Yidinji woman Carly Wallace about her journey from going viral with her comedy platform CJays Vines to becoming a respected advocate and storyteller across media and community spaces. Carly reflects on navigating trolling, changing expectations around humour, and the importance of staying authentic while using your voice to advocate for mob and family.

We also talk about Carly’s late ADHD diagnosis, how understanding neurodiversity has helped her reframe lifelong challenges, and the healing she’s found reconnecting with cultural practice through weaving. This yarn is a powerful reminder to follow your interests, step outside your comfort zone and stay grounded in who you are.

Them Yarns Podcast (Spotify)
https://open.spotify.com/show/5AdvfAcD5VNLb9vpiEO1Jx?si=4360bcecb6424493

Them Yarns Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/themyarnsthepodcast

Website: www.blackmagicwoman.com.au

Follow us on Instagram - @blackmagicwomanpodcast

If you enjoyed this episode, please ‘Subscribe’ on Apple Podcasts or ‘Follow’ on your Spotify app and tell your friends and family about us! If you’d like to contact us, please email, [email protected]

Black Magic Woman is produced by BlakCast.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At 23, everything changed. In this yarn, I sit down with a proud Wakka Wakka and Mandandanji man, Ian Lacey, who opens up about losing his dream of playing professional rugby league and how that moment of failure became the turning point that shaped his life’s work. From sitting down with Wayne Bennett after a career-ending mistake, to navigating the pressure of leadership in community, Ian shares what it really takes to rebuild, stay grounded, and back yourself when things don’t go to plan.

We also dive into the deeper purpose behind his work — creating pathways through sport, supporting mob in community, and building something bigger than the game itself. This yarn is about resilience, accountability, and understanding that sometimes the biggest setbacks can open the right doors — if you’re willing to learn from them.

Key Themes

• 00:00 Losing a lifelong dream and the moment everything shifted
• 03:15 Learning from mistakes and building self-belief
• 08:40 Pressure, accountability, and leading in community
• 18:20 Life after sport — identity, purpose, and transition
• 24:10 Creating pathways through sport and giving back
• 32:30 Advice for young mob chasing high-performance sport

Resources

• Arthur Beetson Foundation → https://arthurbeetsonfoundation.com/
• 13YARN (24/7 support) → https://www.13yarn.org.au
• Lifeline Australia → https://www.lifeline.org.au

Website: www.blackmagicwoman.com.au

Follow us on Instagram - @blackmagicwomanpodcast

If you enjoyed this episode, please ‘Subscribe’ on Apple Podcasts or ‘Follow’ on your Spotify app and tell your friends and family about us! If you’d like to contact us, please email, [email protected]

Black Magic Woman is produced by BlakCast.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this yarn, I sit down with Courtney Ugle, a proud Ballardong/Wardandi Noongar woman, to talk about identity, grief, and the strength it takes to keep showing up. Courtney reflects on losing both of her parents, the ongoing impact of that loss, and how her mum continues to guide her in the work she does today. This is a powerful conversation about what it means to carry love and pain at the same time, and how our stories can shape who we become.

Courtney also shares how she found her voice through storytelling, advocacy, and football, and how her social enterprise, Waangkiny — meaning “talking” — is creating change in the space of domestic and family violence. We yarn about identity, being questioned as a fair-skinned Blak woman, and why lived experience is a powerful tool for leadership and impact. This episode is about truth-telling, healing, and the strength that comes from owning your story.

Key Themes

04:20 — Losing her mum and navigating grief into adulthood

11:10 — Finding her voice through storytelling and advocacy

23:40 — Domestic and family violence as a national crisis

31:15 — Identity, colourism and being questioned as a fair-skinned Blak woman

49:10 — Waangkiny and turning lived experience into impact

Resources

• 1800RESPECT – https://www.1800respect.org.au
• Lifeline – https://www.lifeline.org.au
• Our Watch – https://www.ourwatch.org.au

Website: www.blackmagicwoman.com.au

Follow us on Instagram - @blackmagicwomanpodcast

If you enjoyed this episode, please ‘Subscribe’ on Apple Podcasts or ‘Follow’ on your Spotify app and tell your friends and family about us! If you’d like to contact us, please email, [email protected]

Black Magic Woman is produced by BlakCast.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.