How a boy from Glasgow named Norman Swirsky grew up to become Australia's most famous doctorWhen Norman was 10 years old his dad decided to change the family's surname to Swan in a response to ongoing anti-Semitism in Scotland after WWII.

Norman wanted to be an actor growing up, but his parents encouraged him to study medicine.

After he completed his studies at the university of Aberdeen he spent time working in London before moving to Australia.

While on a break from medicine in 1982 he joined the ABC and began a stellar career.

Decades on, the advent of Covid-19 thrust Norman into the role of his life and he became Australia's most well-known doctor and a trusted voice in the long pandemic.

Sarah spoke to Norman in 2021 after the publication of his book So You Think You Know What's Good For You

This episode of Conversations was produced by Nicola Harrison, the Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney.

The author and actor thinks summer in Australia is done bigger, better and weirder than anywhere else. For three months of the year, life slows down and heats up. But for William, summer in Australia is an imperfect paradise where more than anything, people yearn to connect.

Summer can be a hellish time in Australia, where temperatures soar and fires can turn bush and buildings to rubble in an instant.

But despite the challenges, William McInnes looks upon this time of year with great affection and nostalgia.

Growing up in Redcliffe, Queensland, William remembers the heat that burnt through his thongs, the strange ritual of assembling a plastic European Christmas tree on a 40-degree day, and simple moments in the sun like jumping off his dad's shoulders into the cool coastal water.

Every summer connects William with his family, his childhood and his past, just like millions of other Australians on riverbanks and beaches around the country.

It's a Scorcher: Tales of the Australian Summer is published by Hachette.

This episode of Conversations explores seasons, heat, bushfires, Koolewong, weather forecast, drought, BOM, swimming, tennis, Australian Open, Boxing Day Test, Cricket, Ashes, book, memoir, writing, Australiana, Kitsch, climate change, nostalgia, family time, Christmas, holidays, New Year, how to survive the holidays, road trips, vacation, bikini, swimmers, togs, school holidays, parents.

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, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Journalist and author, Brigid Delaney looked into the ancient philosophy during an assignment from her editor. What she discovered led her to years of study and a brand-new outlook on life that focuses less on happiness and more on meaning and contentment.

Brigid is devoted to the Stoics, a philosophy that encourages its followers to focus on what they can control, accepting what happens outside of that sphere of control, and mastering inner peace to have a good life.

These ideas have helped Brigid prepare for grief and take the edge off her anxiety by putting it in context.

One of the most powerful Stoic ideas is that all the wonderful things and people in our life are “on loan” and can be taken away at any moment.

Instead of taking them for granted, the Stoics wanted us to run toward them at full speed, and wring as much fun and juice out of them as we can.

Further information

Brigid's new book The Seeker And The Sage, and Reasons Not To Worry: How to be Stoic in chaotic times are both published by Allen & Unwin.

The Executive Producer of Conversations is Nicola Harrison.

This episode contains references to a buddhist with attitude, Nassim Taleb, stoic week, Nero, improving my life, how to improve my life, how to be content, how to find meaning in life, The Guardian, Brigid Delaney's Diary, newspaper column, newspaper columnist, writer, writing life, author, novel, fable, Circles of Hierocles, meditation, Celeste Barber, Wellmania, netflix and internal happiness.

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, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Cult survivor and psychotherapist Dr Martina Zangger on her ten years devoted to an Indian mystic and how she learned to stand on her own two feet.

When Martina Zangger was 19 years old she became a devotee of the Rajneeshee Movement led by the Guru, Bhagwan.

The cult had its headquarters in a huge ashram, built in rural Oregon, and Martina decided she needed to go there to be closer to Rajneesh to find the healing she desperately needed.

She became a sex worker to fund her journey there from Sydney.

In the ashram, Bhagwan directed his thousands of followers to wear purple clothing, work for him for free, and avoid monogamy.

Then one day, Bhagwan suddenly disappeared on a Lear jet taking his collection of diamond-encrusted watches with him.

Martina was left to make a life for herself back in the regular world and to slowly confront the childhood trauma that had led her to join the Rajneeshees in the first place.

Not My Shame is published by Ventura Press.

This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris, executive producer is Nicola Harrison.

It explores religion, spirituality, spiritual seeking, trauma, childhood abuse, sexual abuse, Osho, Rajneesh, Pune, India, Oregon, Ashram, meditation, cults, healing, immigration, therapy, self confidence, self worth, motherhood, perinatal psychosis, mental health, psychotherapy, psychology, relationship, monogamy, parenting, mothers of daughters, social work, social justice, Wild Wild Country, Netflix, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, guru, mystic, philosophy, spiritual bypassing.

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, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

When Helen Garner began following her grandson Amby's under-16s football team, it was a chance to spend more time with her youngest grandchild before he became an adult and she was fascinated by the spectacle.

She went along to all the games, and to every training session, shivering on the sidelines at dusk, it also gave Helen a new writing project.

As Helen began writing about Amby and his season, she began to realise that part of the story was about the 'ordinary beauty of human society'.

This episode of Conversations was produced by Nicola Harrison, the executive producer was Carmel Rooney.

It explores growing older, teenagers, playing AFL, training, team sport, AFL, injury, man hood, being a grandma, family, writing, memoir, the culture of sport in Australia, writing, raising boys.

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, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

At the very end of World War Two, Australian soldiers were sent to Borneo to dislodge the occupying Japanese Forces. The story of their brutal fighting was largely forgotten by their own compatriots, who never understood why they went in there in the first place.

It was one of the largest amphibious landings of the whole war, and what followed was months of brutal fighting on an island that was both a hell and a paradise.

The operation was called Operation Oboe, and it was one of the most successful military campaigns Australia has ever been a part of.

But the men who fought there were never celebrated upon their return home.

They were forgotten amid all the questioning of whether all the fighting and dying on Borneo needed to happen in the first place.

Author Michael Veitch happened upon this forgotten story of Australians at war in the most unlikely of circumstances involving a trivia night and a grumpy older man.

Borneo: The Last Campaign - Australia's brilliant, controversial end to World War Two is published by Hachette.

This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris, executive producer is Nicola Harrison.

It explores war, battles, history, modern history, occupation, fighting, death, grief, men at war, brothers in arms, US military, military history, Japanese, Germany, Nazis, allied forces, AUKUS, ANZAC, axis powers, Russia, General MacArthur, great war, fighting, leopards, Borneo, rubber, oil, resources, surrender, books for dad, Christmas books, history books.

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, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

While fighting anorexia Lexi Crouch was admitted to hospital 25 times and placed in an induced coma twice. When doctors told her she would die, she began the slow climb up and out to health (CW: discussion of eating disorders)

Lexi was 16 when she was first admitted to hospital and diagnosed with anorexia and spent the next decade in and out specialist clinics.

When she overheard doctors talking about how she was going to die, Lexi decided she wasn't ready to give up and began to confront what was driving her illness and begin the slow process of recovery.

Lexi is now a clinical nutritionist and eating disorders recovery coach and has co-written a book with psychiatrist Dr Warren Ward called ReNourish: a complete and compassionate guide to recovery from eating disorders.

Listen to Sarah's interview with Dr Warren Ward 

Treating anorexia by nourishing the heart

This episode of Conversations was produced by Jen Leake, executive producer is Nicola Harrison.

It explores eating disorders, mental health, body image, boarding school, anorexia, eating disorder clinics, psychiatric ward, perfectionism, extreme exercise, near death, intensive care, therapy, yoga, spirituality, recovery, pregnancy, clinical nutrition.

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, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Mark Winterbottom grew up in outer Western Sydney, in a family with not much money to spend on expensive hobbies. But by an extraordinary twist of fate, Mark won his first mini motorbike in a shopping centre raffle at the age of 8.

Immediately, he was off, speedily rising up from bikes to kart racing, and then to V8 Supercars.

Mark won race after race, earning him the nickname 'Frosty'.

But for years, he could not wrestle the infamous Bathurst 1000 trophy from the hands of his great rival, Jamie Whincup.

Then, in 2013, after six hours roaring around the track, in the final lap, the two of them went bumper to bumper, fighting for first place in an electrifying finish.

Frosty is published by HarperCollins.

This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris, executive producer is Nicola Harrison.

It explores motorsports, supercars, F1, Ford, Holden, Bathurst, cancer, death of a parent, grief, love, marriage, fatherhood, Owen Wilson, Cars the movie, Disney, Pixar, voice over acting, driving, crash, memo0ir, writing books, origin story, raising boys, childhood sweetheart.

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, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Heather's brother and grandfather died in a tragic drowning accident when she was 12 and from that day, she began looking for a way to commune with what lies beyond. 

The quest has taken the Stella award winning writer to Buddhist monasteries, Native American dance rituals and sweat lodges, and to the discipline of writing.

And Heather has had an intuitive sense of life's mystery ever since she was a little girl growing up near the ancient forests and wild beaches of Tasmania.

Heather's novels include The Museum of Modern Love and the best-selling thriller Bruny and Sarah spoke with Heather in 2022 after the publication of her memoir, Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here.

This episode of Conversations was produced by Alice Moldovan, the Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney.

It covers, grief, death, drowning, family, Tasmania, writing, Buddhism, memoir, Native American Dance rituals, therapy, nature, the mystery of life, arthritis, chronic illness.

Louise O'Sullivan spent 10 years with the ADF, including deployments with the Special Forces in Afghanistan which eventually left her with PTSD, but a bigger battle lay ahead, the fight to save her premature twins.

After leaving the military, Louise wanted to begin a family but cancer treatment had left her unable to carry her own children so she found a surrogate in Ukraine.

But when her twins were born prematurely, she spent months living and caring for them in a Ukranian hospital.

Eventually Louise had to begin her own process of healing, which included a life changing course of ketamine therapy.

The episode of Conversations was produced by Jen Leake and the Executive Producer was Nicola Harrison.

It covers topics including psychology, trauma, Australian Defence Force, Afghanistan, women in the military, army training, physical and mental endurance, helicopter crash, fatalities, injury, ripping out, trauma response, PTSD, cervical cancer, chemotherapy, radiation, hysterectomy, international surrogacy, premature babies, health care in Ukraine, divorces, EMDR, ketamine therapy

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, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

The most shared episode of Conversations in 2025 was Sarah's interview with social psychologist Jonathan Hait on 'attention fracking' and how to stop tech companies stealing your focus.

Sarah's interview with Jonathan Haidt

After the death of her father, a spiritual moment with the life-size wooden statue of Bob at Nine Mile convinced queer rapper, Jamaica Moana that everything would be alright.

Jamaica was born to the music of Bob Marley on the Central Coast of NSW.

Her dad loved Bob’s music more than anything else and would listen incessantly on his interstate truck driving routes.

Jamaica was the beloved baby of six children, growing up in a Maori-Samoan family in the outer suburbs of Auckland.

When the family moved to Campbelltown in Western Sydney, Jamaica began to express her queer identity through the dance troupe The Pioneers.

Jamaica’s father rejected this new version of her, so different from the son he knew, and they became estranged. 

When he became seriously ill years later, Jamaica moved home to care for him and the pair renewed their relationship, staying close until his death.

With her brother, she eventually made a pilgrimage to Bob Marley's home town as a tribute to their father.

Deep in grief, it was a spiritual experience with a life-size statue of Bob at Nine Mile that convinced Jamaica everything would be alright.

Further information

Jamaica Moana's debut EP is Bud & Deni. 

This episode of Conversations was produced by Alice Moldovan. The Executive Producer was Nicola Harrison.

It covers topics including rap, dance, Hokianga Harbour, Maori, South Auckland, Papakura, Western Sydney, authentic, authenticity, queer, trans, parental estrangement, father daughter relationship, carer, caring for parent, Nicki Minaj, ballroom, duckwalk, west ball, safe space, rupture and repair and community.

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, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.