Conversations draws you deeper into the life story of someone you may have heard about, but never met. Journey into their world, joining them on epic adventures to unfamiliar places, back in time to wild moments of history, and into their deepest memories, to be moved by personal stories of resilience and redemption. Hosted by Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski, Conversations is the ABC's most popular long-form interview program. Every day we explore the vast tapestry of human experience, wea ...
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A wide variety of conversations recorded in front of audiences round Aotearoa
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Smuggled out of Wewak — Carolyn's dramatic escape from Papua New Guinea
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When Carolyn Blacklock's passport was confiscated from her in a foreign country she was faced with a scary reality that got wilder at every turn Carolyn Blacklock's passport was taken from from her at the Port Moresby International Airport when she was trying to get on a plane back to Australia. It was at that moment she realised just how much trou…
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When the pirate got paid on the island of Corfu
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Kári Gíslason was 18 when he met a mysterious stranger called 'the Pirate' on the Greek island of Corfu. When he fled the island, he left behind a debt he promised to one day repay. When Kári Gíslason was 18, he came to the island of Corfu as a stony-broke traveller. But he quickly found work in a little town: lime washing walls and working as a bu…
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The spark that saw Andy become solar-powered
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Andy McCarthy found passion for solar power as a high school dropout. He began one of Australia's biggest solar businesses, right in the heart of Victoria's coal country. But then a breakdown changed everything for Andy and his family Andy McCarthy dropped out of high school in year 10. He was a highly energetic kid but found it difficult to latch …
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The sprawling history of the human soul — part two
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In this two-part series, historian Paul Ham traces how our definition and understanding of the human soul has transformed over thousands of years. Humans have been probing their own invisible inner voice since the Stone Age. But where did the concept of the soul even come from? And is it really what separates the living from the dead? Historian and…
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The trailblazing papergirl, lawyer and playwright
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Suzie Miller's frugal and free range St Kilda childhood taught her to question almost everything. She grew up to become a trailblazing writer and lawyer (R) Suzie Miller grew up in St Kilda, and from early in life she had a number of part-time jobs. She became a trailblazing paper girl in her local area, when the role was usually only offered to bo…
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My aunt was smuggled to Tashkent by Stalin
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Helen Vatsikopoulos' family never spoke about what happened to her aunt, Aspasia after the Greek Civil War. She uncovered a story of secret evacuation, exile and unknown family members. Helen Vatsikopoulos was born in a little mountain village on the northern border of Greece. She came to Adelaide as a young girl and grew up to become a TV journali…
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Heavenly beings: the icon paintings of Michael Galovic
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Artist Michael Galovic had been painting mysterious and mystical icons for decades before he truly understood the theology behind what he was doing — expertly and purposefully distorting reality to create a window into a heavenly and otherworldly realmBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Dave Gleeson is known for his blistering performances in The Screaming Jets and The Angels, but he grew up singing at Mass in Cardiff, with a mum who opened their home to hundreds of foster children (R)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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The sprawling history of the human soul — part one
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In this two-part series, historian Paul Ham traces how our definition and understanding of the human soul has transformed over thousands of years. Humans have been probing their own invisible inner voice since the Stone Age. But where did the concept of the soul even come from? And is it really what separates the living from the dead?…
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People travel from all over the world to learn about horses from Ken Faulkner. But after a life-threatening riding accident on his favourite horse, Smoke, Ken had to learn to walk and ride again, rediscovering himself in the processBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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In 2014, Ailsa Piper's husband's unexpected death cast her adrift in a sea of grief. Then bit by bit, life called her backBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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On Carol Perry’s communal farm there’s ‘no loneliness, and no mortgages’. It’s a long way from the life her parents expected her to lead, and she got there after an overseas motorbike tour and teaching in a war zoneBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Kim McKay is the Director and CEO of The Australian Museum, responsible for 22 million objects that tell the history of the world (Content warning: this episode discusses human remains held in museums and the repatriation process. Indigenous, Torres Strait Islander and Pacific Islander peoples, please listen with care.)…
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'More than cheesecake' — humanity's shared musical history
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Like tracing the cultural history of breathing or love, it's difficult to pinpoint exactly when, how or why humans started making music. But composer and broadcaster Andrew Ford has uncovered the story of music, from pre-historic times to nowBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Conversations Gold: The silver medal that changed Laurie Lawrence
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As a child, the superstar swim coach lived with a chronic lung condition, and had part of a lung removed. In 1956, a huge event held in his family's backyard changed the course of his life (R)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Conversations Gold: Jana Pittman's turning point
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Jana Pittman became one of Australia's most famous athletes as a young woman. Then at age 30, she found herself at a painful crossroads (R)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Conversations Gold: Paralympian Christie Dawes is super/normal
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The Tokyo Paralympics were Christie's seventh as a wheelchair racing competitor, but Christie almost gave up marathons after the 2013 Boston Marathon, and the most frightening experience of her life (CW: mention of suicide) (R)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Conversations Gold: The life of Anna Meares
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Anna's stellar cycling career saw her smash Australian Olympic records and become the World Champion 11 times. Then to the surprise of many, she walked away from cycling for good, returning to the world stage as Australia's Chef de Mission for Paris 2024 (R)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Conversations Gold: Lisa Curry on winning gold and losing Jaimi
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Swimmer and entrepreneur Lisa Curry's life has been full of highs and lows both in and out of the pool. But it was the death of her daughter, Jaimi, that completely changed her. This is how Lisa fought to get her old self back after her unimaginable loss (R)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Conversations Gold: Patrick Johnson's golden run
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How a boy who grew up on a fishing trawler became the first man in Australia to run 100 metres in under 10 seconds (R)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Bruce McAvaney — what a legend, what a champion
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Bruce McAvaney is the voice of Australian sport, with a commentating style built on his relentless work ethic and genuine passion. But if he hadn't chucked a sickie one day while working as a public servant, the past 50 years of Australian sport might have sounded very differentBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Louise Kennedy on Belfast, bombs and a disastrous pav
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Writer Louise Kennedy grew up at the height of The Troubles, just outside of Belfast, where violence was ever-present. When her family's pub was bombed, they decided to move south, where Louise trained as a chef. But after decades of working in the kitchen, a chance invitation to a writer's group lead to an unexpected new career (R)…
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Tony Armstrong felt like a failure when his AFL career ended. But he found his feet again, falling upwards into a different life, calling footy matches, hosting live television, and now writing a children's book. This is why Tony isn't scared of failing anymoreBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Forced to flee West Papua, Lele's family wandered for years before coming to Australia. When they eventually received Australian citizenship and passports, the family was finally able to travel to West Papua. But Lele's homecoming journey was bittersweet, after tragedy struckBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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When writer Lily Brett went to visit Auschwitz, the death camp both her parents had survived, she couldn't help but start tidying up the place where so many of her family had been murdered, and touching the ashes of what was leftBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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