She's one of the most powerful producers in Hollywood. She votes on the Academy, which decides who will get the Oscars. She’s produced box office smash hits Wild, Gone Girl, Warm Bodies and Milk just to name a few. And up until last week she had a production company with Reese Witherspoon. So how did Bruna Papandrea go from the outer Adelaide suburbs to a leading lady boss of Hollywood? This Aussie powerhouse is a friend Mia hadn’t seen in over 20 years. So when she arrived in the studio to reco...
Sep 05, 2016•57 min
Ita Buttrose is an Australian icon. She's the founding editor of Cleo Magazine. Cold Chisel once wrote a song about her. The author of 11 books. A former Australian of the year. Host of Studio 10. And when she sat down with another former magazine editor Mia Freedman for this interview, what did they talk about? Everything, obviously. Show Notes Your host is Mia Freedman. With thanks to special guest Ita Buttrose. This podcast was produced by Elissa Ratliff CONTACT US Suggest a guest via: podcas...
Aug 29, 2016•1 hr 2 min
In 2011, Loren O'Keeffe's world changed forever. Her 24-year-old brother Dan walked out of the family home and disappeared. Loren quit her job immediatley, set up a Dan Come Home movement and spent the next five years answering emails, trawling soup kitchens and chasing every lead that came her way. In March of 2016, all that came to a halt, when Dan's body was found under the family home. Today Loren joins Mia on a very raw No Filter to talk about her life now that Dan is no longer missing, and...
Aug 22, 2016•1 hr 3 min
Look around you. Look at the women in your life. Did you know, one in three of them will have a miscarriage in their lifetime? And around 2000 women this year will have a stillbirth. That's a lot of women you know. I am one of them. And so is my very dear friend, Rebecca Sparrow. That’s why at Mamamia, we decided to establish a support group for these women. This week at Mamamia it's Pregnancy Loss Awareness Week, and to shine some light on the stories of these women that so often go untold, I t...
Aug 16, 2016•1 hr 6 min
To many, she's considered a fast-talking Aussie who created Puberty Blues. B ut when you dig a little deeper, you realise that author Kathy Lette is so much more than the vivacious outfits she wears. For most of her public life, she kept quiet about the fact that her eldest son Jules had autism. But in 2012, after unintentionally writing about it in The Boy Who Fell to Earth, Kathy realised that it was better to shine a light into a dark corner then just leave it in the dark. And that's exactly ...
Aug 15, 2016•56 min
“I won’t love anything as much as I love swimming." With nine Olympic medals, Leisel Jones is regarded as one of the greatest Australian swimmers ever. But when she stepped onto the Olympic platform at just 15 years old, it was a baptism of fire. Thrust into the limelight so young she reveals the constant pressure she was under – from coaches, from the media and from herself – to be perfect. From the 4:10am training starts to the bullying, dysfunction and body image issues, this is a story of a ...
Aug 07, 2016•59 min
Daniel Germanos was completing his HSC when he found out his kidneys were failing. He was 17. He played rep soccer, was fun loving, and had never had a problem with his health before. Yet, out of nowhere he got sick. His mum Rita and Dad George, along with his three older siblings were blindsided.The family knew they would have to do everything in their power to try and make him better. And that’s exactly what they did. Rita and George join Mia Freedman to talk about the reality of living on the...
Aug 01, 2016•44 min
Four years ago, Taryn Brumfitt was booked into surgery for a boob job, and a tummy tuck, when she had an epiphany. "If I go through with this, what am I saying to my daughter about body image? How am I going to encourage her to accept and love her body? What type of hypocrite or mother would I be?" Now, she has a dream. To change the way we see our bodies. She joins Mia to talk about her mission to address body image issues in society, before we raise another generation of humans who hate themse...
Jul 25, 2016•33 min
Not many people can say they influenced Oprah, but Caroline Overington can. The award-winning author and journalist interviewed the most famous woman in the world at her Harpo studios last year, and it did not go as expected. A woman who believes in "fake it till you make it", she has twice won Australia’s most prestigious award for journalism, the Walkley Award for Investigative Journalism; and the Sir Keith Murdoch award for Journalistic Excellence. Her latest book is the thriller, The One Who...
Jul 18, 2016•1 hr
If you've ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at the top of the media tree, and how one of Australia's top journalists works and thinks, you are going to love this episode. Sarah Ferguson is a multiple Walkley-award winning journalist, the host of Four Corners, and is known for asking politicians the tough questions. She is also funny and sweary and beautiful. She's half of one of Australia's media power couples (and what she has to say about that is hilarious), and this episode reveals...
Jul 11, 2016•54 min
She started making the lipsticks she would want to wear when she was 19. Within three years Poppy King was head of the biggest cosmetic company in Australia. She was one of the few young women in our pre-Internet public life and she changed the psyche of Australia in terms of what we could make and what we could export. And then she disappeared. Poppy moved to New York and Australia’s lips were never the same. Then, this year, Mia Freedman bought a new lipstick in a cool Sydney make-up store and...
Jun 27, 2016•46 min
In 2013, mother-of-three Sam Bloom’s world changed. A freak accident on a family holiday in Thailand left her paralysed from the chest down. Her three young sons and her husband Cameron rallied around her. But it wasn’t until the family found a baby magpie who had fallen from his tree that things started looking up for the Blooms. Now, Cameron has written a book about Penguin, the Magpie who pulled his family from a dark, dark place. Show Notes Your host was Mia Freedman With Cameron and Sam Blo...
Jun 12, 2016•47 min
He hasn't had a drink since he was 22 years old. And he reckons that’s the reason he’s made it in comedy. There’s no denying that Dave Hughes is one of our most popular comedians. From hosting the Logies to touring internationally, the former co-host of The Project joins Mia to talk about how his career started, his friendship with radio co-host Kate Langbroek and why he really left one of Australia's most popular weekly news shows. Oh, and why his wife made him get the snip. It is No Filter, af...
Jun 06, 2016•39 min
Gloria Steinem has long been considered the mother of feminism. Since her days of political activism in the ‘60s and ‘70s, the journalist and author has spent her life campaigning for women’s rights. And at 82 years old, there’s still no stopping her. In this interview with Mia Freedman, Gloria discusses the idea of selfies as empowerment, why she feels sad for Kim Kardashian, plastic surgery and the future of feminism in popular culture. Show Notes Your host was Mia Freedman With thanks to Glor...
May 29, 2016•36 min
Ruby Rose lost her mum when she was only two years old... In 2009, the Heuston family's world changed for ever when Chloe Waterlow was murdered by her brother in Sydney's east. Chloe was mother to the three Heuston kids, then aged 5, 2 and 4 months. Those children would grow up without their mum. Their father Ben, lost the love of his life. Five years later, another unthinkable tragedy has struck the family. Ben and Chloe's only daughter Ruby Rose was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia...
May 15, 2016•33 min
She has slept with around 12,000 people. Many of them men. But for as long as she can remember, Madison Missina has lived part of her life in the closet. As an award-winning porn star, sex worker, sex therapist and business owner - she's gotten used to not revealing her real name, or any parts of her previous life. But now she is coming...out. In every possible way. She speaks to Mia Freedman about what it's like to be a gay woman, having straight sex on camera. And why it was time for her to st...
May 09, 2016•31 min
The much loved comedian and actor may have clocked a long career on stage and screen, a book, a battle with breast cancer and botox, but there's still something on the wish list. Julia Morris lays it all out in this hilarious interview with Mia Freedman, spanning topics from miscarriage to magazines, the papparazzi and how to best mask your menopausal rage. Your host is Mia Freedman Huge thanks to the divine Julia Morris Contact this show, suggest a guest, or leave feedback via twitter @mamamiap...
May 01, 2016•1 hr 9 min
"I cannot believe that is how my cards fell. I cannot believe I should have a six-year-old daughter." Rebecca Sparrow is an author, columnist, mother, and Oprah worshipper. She's also one of the wisest women Mia Freedman knows. After the death of her daughter Georgie, these two women connected and forged an unlikely friendship. In this interview with Mia, Rebecca talks about the loss of her daughter Georgie, the surrealness of losing a baby, and her new role as a teenage agony aunt, canvassing t...
Apr 17, 2016•57 min
Natasha Stott Despoja famously walked into parliament, at age 26, wearing Doc Martens. It set the tone for a political career that would shake things up. The former Leader of the Australian Democrats Party and mother ot two was once asked if she could breastfeed on a schedule. Now as the Ambassador for Women and Girls, she joins Mia Freedman to talk about her life in politics, her children and why we never question men about their work/life balance and "having it all". Your host is Mia Freedman....
Apr 04, 2016•43 min
"The dominant partner in any relationship will always sleep on the side of the bed closest to the door." So says Peter FitzSimons. It's one of his little theories of life, of which he has many. The author, columnist and former Australian rugby player has written 27 books, holds the record for the longest radio interview ever, and is the Chair of the Australian Republican movement. Peter FitzSimons rips the bandana off while talking to Mia Freedman. They cover love, writing, religion, philosophy,...
Mar 24, 2016•39 min
The Hey Dad! child star blew the whistle on her TV dad. Robert Hughes, who played her father on the popular Australian TV show, was found guilty of repeatedly molesting her over a period of many years. Hughes was sentenced to a maximum of 10 years and nine months jail. But now, he's appealing for a second time. Monahan details the moment she 'snapped', facing Hughes in court, and why she's decided to never become a mother herself. Show notes Your host is Mia Freedman With thanks to Sarah Monahan...
Mar 08, 2016•36 min
Michelle Bridges gets stuff done. She is an entrepreneur, a personal trainer, a television personality, and a new mum to son Axel. And did we mention she has written 13 books? Yeah. But what you might not know about Michelle is that she is a survivor of sexual assault, is an absolute "sook" about her baby son, and that on the day she sat down to talk to Mia Freedman about her new book Make It Happen , her boobs were killing her. Welcome to No Filter. Show Notes: Your host is Mia Freedman. With t...
Feb 22, 2016•42 min
Sam Armytage has had a rough few days. As co-host on Australia's highest-rating breakfast TV show Sunrise, Sam is used to everyone having an opinion about her. But after an interview with Hollywood star Kristin Davies took an unexpected turn last week, that attention has taken a particularly negative turn. Sam talks to Mia about how breakfast television works, how it feels to be labelled a "mindless bimbo" by a peer in print, and how a cheesy celebrity skit can spin into a national discussion ab...
Feb 16, 2016•46 min
She is one of Australia's funniest women. But behind the big hair of her famous character, Effie, it's Mary Coustas' unfaultering desire to become a mother that has provided her life's biggest challenges. Through 23 IVF attempts, Mary suffered unimaginable losses, faced unenviable decisions and ultimately, found the joy that she'd been looking for all along. Here, she shares with Mia what got her through that experience, and what she wishes she'd known back at the very beginning. Show Notes: You...
Feb 08, 2016•50 min
She's a cook, an award winning author, and of course a domestic goddess. But behind the scenes of her TV shows, Nigella Lawson is a woman who carries around salt and mustard in her handbag. And has an array of condiments on her bedside table. In this special live episode of No Filter, Nigella sits down with Mia and the Mamamia office to talk food, diets and her new cook book, Simply Nigella. Show Notes: Your host is Mia Freedman. With thanks to special guest Nigella Lawson. This podcast was prod...
Jan 29, 2016•23 min
She's the highest ranking trans military officer in Australia. Is friends with some of the most powerful people in the country. And has a love of cricket that knows no bounds. But these are just some of the hats that Group Captain Cate McGregor wears. Australian of the Year 2016 finalist, and 2016 Queenslander of the year opens up about about life before becoming Cate, dealing with transphobia and what is next for her. Show Notes: Your host is Mia Freedman. With thanks to special guest Cate McGr...
Jan 24, 2016•1 hr 1 min
She is one of Australia's best known political journalists. Whether it's in written form for The Drum , or eating dinner with the country's leaders on her hit ABC show Kitchen Cabinet , Annabel Crabb has her own special way of shedding light on what is happening in Canberra. A renaissance woman through and through, Annabel talks about why she has chosen not to get married, her views on 21st century feminism and her friendship with Leigh Sales. Show Notes Find out more about Annabel's new book Sp...
Dec 13, 2015•51 min
She's one of Australia's best known journalists. But behind the stellar political interviews, two time Walkley award winner Leigh Sales is one of the kindest and funniest women in the business. The mother of two talks about how difficult she found childbirth, what it has been like interviewing some of the most powerful women in the business and whether or not 7.30 is her endgame. Show Notes No Filter is hosted by Mia Freedman and produced by Elissa Ratliff . With thanks to Leigh Sales You can fi...
Nov 22, 2015•48 min
Gold Logie winner and darling of the Australian media, Carrie Bickmore spends her nights hosting Channel Ten's The Project. But outside of that, this mother of two has a mission. One that was born from the death of her husband. At the 2015 Logies, Carrie made the whole of Australia listen when she used her Gold Logie acceptance speech to create awareness about brain cancer. She put on a beanie, and asked the rest of Australia to. And she’s about to do it again with Carries Beanies 4 Brain Cancer...
Nov 19, 2015•34 min
Magda Szubanski is an Australian icon. She has written and created some of Australia's best comedy shows and characters. Mia Freedman chats to Magda about her first book Reckoning . A memoir that deals with the raw emotion of her life, intertwined with her father's experience as a German resistance fighter in World War Two. They also talk about what it was like making the decision to tell the world she was gay and her very public time as the face of Jenny Craig. Show Notes Find out more about Ma...
Nov 08, 2015•47 min
