If you’ve stopped and looked up in the middle of a shopping centre or on your train or bus commute, there’s probably one think you’d notice – almost everybody you encounter having their faced buried in their phones. The growth of social media and smartphones means we are constantly looking to be entertained.

Today’s guest says – that’s a problem. And he would know, he’s an acclaimed cognitive neuroscientist who has studied behaviour and brain imaging research for more than 25 years.

In his new book, Dr Mark Williams reveals how screen exposure is rewiring our brains, especially those of our children. From dopamine loops and social media addiction… to loneliness, parenting, and the subtle ways technology reshapes memory and relationships - this is a conversation every parent needs to hear. While there’s plenty that is scary in our discussion, Mark also has some simple and effective solutions to help build real-life resilience and connections in a digital world.

LINKS

• Grab a copy of Mark and Gavin's book 'Screen Smart Children'
• Sign up to the Better Than Yesterday newsletter
• Watch episodes of Better Than Yesterday on YouTube
• Watch full stories recorded live at Story Club on YouTube
• Get tickets for our next Story Club show
• Get Osher's latest book "So What? Now What?" here
• Send a pic of what you're looking at to [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode features some of the most powerful messages from when parenting and resilience educator Maggie Dent came to the house. Maggie’s got some simple, immediately actionable ideas that can radically change your experience as a parent (and theirs).

Key Takeaways:

• Build your tribe, not your village
• Focus on connection, not perfection
• Create pockets of joy to protect your family from the tough days
• Invaluable insights into behaviour by understanding how teenage brains work. 

LINKS

• Listen to the full episode with Maggie Dent here
• Find out more about Maggie's books and seminars here
• Sign up to the Better Than Yesterday newsletter
• Watch episodes of Better Than Yesterday on YouTube
• Watch full stories recorded live at Story Club on YouTube
• Get tickets for our next Story Club show
• Get Osher's latest book "So What? Now What?" here
• Send a pic of what you're looking at to [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2008, Wes Carr had the things most artists dream of - national fame, chart-topping success, and millions of eyes watching him perform on the iconic Sydney Opera House steps. What followed was a whirlwind of promotion, performing and recording sessions that strayed from Wes' authenticity as an artist.

In this raw and reflective conversation, Wes opens up about success, identity, burnout, and the quiet cost of ambition. He talks about nuturing his passion for music growing up, the spiritual reckoning that followed his Australian Idol win, and why reinvention sometimes feels like survival. From changing his name and starting again in America, to returning home to Australia with his family and a new understanding of who he is without the noise, Wes is candid about where he's been and where he's going.

LINKS

• Catch Wes playing live at the Birdsville Big Red Bash & Mundi Mundi Bash
• Follow Wes on Instagram: @wescarrmusic
• Sign up to the Better Than Yesterday newsletter
• Watch episodes of Better Than Yesterday on YouTube
• Watch full stories recorded live at Story Club on YouTube
• Get tickets for our next Story Club show
• Get Osher's latest book "So What? Now What?" here
• Send a pic of what you're looking at to [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Sarah Woodhouse, a trauma expert and psychologist, shares transformative insights on parenting. When I spoke with Sarah, she talked about the power of self-compassion, the importance of modelling healthy behaviours, and how to help children navigate life’s challenges.

Whether you’re a parent or simply curious about breaking generational cycles, this episode is packed with wisdom and actionable advice.

LINKS

• More on Dr Sarah Woodhouse
• Listen to the full conversation with Sarah here
• Sign up to the Better Than Yesterday newsletter
• Watch episodes of Better Than Yesterday on YouTube
• Watch full stories recorded live at Story Club on YouTube
• Get tickets for our next Story Club show
• Get Osher's latest book "So What? Now What?" here
• Send a pic of what you're looking at to [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we tell ourselves stories about who belongs and who doesn’t: what’s that person doing in my street? How’d a person dressed like that get in here? Who let that guy who works for that politician who says those things into this birthday party? When we really think about it - how often are we wrong? Today’s guest, deals with those judgements all day, and how she handles them is well worth listening to.

Let’s test your who belongs and who doesn’t story. My guest today is a stand up comedian, a former stripper, an OnlyFans creator - and a mother. How did you go? Did you check out? Still with me?  

Nikki Justice has a story you just have to hear to believe. It’s just your standard story of growing up around addiction, joining the circus when she was still a kid, then making a career as an adult entertainer and a standup comedian. Her life has been interesting to say the least. 

In this conversation, we talk about what it really means to be judged - and how much of that judgment actually lives inside us. We also explore motherhood, shame, sex work, comedy, trauma, and the strange ways we all try to fit in, or belong. Nikki is candid and authentic in telling her story, and her perspective may just change your mind about how you look at and judge others.

LINKS

• Follow Nikki on Instagram (@nikkijusticecomedy)
• Nikki's tour info and updates here
• Watch episodes of Better Than Yesterday on YouTube
• Sign up to the Better Than Yesterday newsletter
• Watch full stories recorded live at Story Club on YouTube
• Get tickets for our next Story Club show 
• Get Osher's latest book "So What? Now What?" here
• Send a pic of what you're looking at to [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As comedian and radio legend Merrick Watts prepares for his Grapes Of Mirth festival in Tasmania, I thought it would be a good time to look back at a couple of interesting things that we learned about Merrick from the times I've spoken with him over the years.

You'll hear about his unique approach to resilience, his thoughts on parenting, and the really interesting way that he revived a 2000 year old Roman drink for modern tastes. There is so much more to Merrick than his resume. He's a fascinating man, and I hope you enjoy these highlights from our conversations.

LINKS

• More on Merrick's Grapes Of Mirth
• More on Posca
• Listen to past episodes featuring Merrick Watts here and here
• Sign up to the Better Than Yesterday newsletter
• Watch episodes of Better Than Yesterday on YouTube
• Watch full stories recorded live at Story Club on YouTube
• Get tickets for our next Story Club show 
• Get Osher's latest book "So What? Now What?" here
• Send a pic of what you're looking at to [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if I told you that the secret to happiness was to pay more attention to the times when life absolutely sucks? How can that make sense? 

Everything I scroll past berates me with a message about finding happiness, treating myself, pushing me to constantly be seek out the good at all costs. While it’s absolutely important to discover and nurture those things that make life pleasurable and even tolerable, my guest today argues that we also need to also sit with and even embrace misery to truly appreciate what makes life great.

Eamon Evans is a prolific author, writing 15 books on everything from sport to crime, urban legends and great Aussie scandals. His latest book, The Importance of Being Miserable: A Short History of Human Happiness, and Why Sometimes It's Good to Feel Bad, challenges the notion that life should always be good, happy and sparkly; and suggests that negative emotions have been historically important, and still are.

Today, Eamon unpacks the fantasy we’ve been sold over the years - that happiness is something you can achieve, lock in, and never lose, and argues that, ironically, chasing it might actually be what’s making us miserable. Fear not, Eamon is hilarious and delivers his message in a coating of laughter and delicious irony - so he’s able to get the idea across incredibly well. 
He's even written a book about it, "The Importance of Being Miserable".

Now that I think about it, the title of the book might just be the closest thing that's ever got me to understanding why Morrissey exists.

LINKS

• Grab a copy of Eamon's book The Importance of Being Miserable
• Watch episodes of Better Than Yesterday on YouTube
• Sign up to the Better Than Yesterday newsletter
• Watch full stories recorded live at Story Club on YouTube
• Get tickets for our next Story Club show 
• Get Osher's latest book "So What? Now What?" here
• Send a pic of what you're looking at to [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When I open my phone, it explodes in a cascade of fear, fury and furphies. That content does exactly what it is designed to do—leave me spinning in a tizz of powerlessness and desperation. 

Besides just turning my phone off, I think I have found something that makes that feeling less intense, and instead gives me the feeling that I am actually doing something that will make a difference.

LINKS

• Watch episodes of Better Than Yesterday on YouTube
• Sign up to the Better Than Yesterday newsletter
• Watch full stories recorded live at Story Club on YouTube
• Get tickets for our next Story Club show 
• Get Osher's latest book "So What? Now What?" here
• Send a pic of what you're looking at to [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The man, the music legend - Diesel (aka Mark Lizotte) is my guest the week as he prepares to tour the nation for his By Request tour. It's a wide-ranging conversation about creativity, addiction, community - even sleep hygiene - and why songs become emotional time machines. It's a conversation about music, ageing, purpose, and finding connection in a modern world that keeps pulling us apart.

Heads up - if you'd like to skip straight to the Diesel chat, head to 16:07.

LINKS

• Catch Diesel on tour - info and tix @ dieselmusic.com.au
• Watch episodes of Better Than Yesterday on YouTube
• Sign up to the Better Than Yesterday newsletter
• Watch full stories recorded live at Story Club on YouTube
• Get tickets for our next Story Club show 
• Get Osher's new book "So What? Now What?" here
• Send a pic of what you're looking at to [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today is January 26th. 

If you’ve listened to the show for a while you’ll probably have an idea about where I view the significance of this day. If there’s one thing I wish for 2026, it’s that two things can be true at the same time. It is vitally important to celebrate a national identity, the story which binds us together as a community. 

The current day we’re celebrating this concept causes a great deal of pain to a significant number of people in our country. I’m not putting forward at all that we sholdn’t celebrate who we are as a nation, far from it - i think it’s incredibly important to be proud of who we are, what we’ve become and also to recognise where we’ve come from. We can do that in a way which unites us. 
The current way we’re going about it doesn’t really do the job. What kind of community do we want? A community divided along ideological lines so stark that we may as well be separate communities? Or a community united by values which we consider at the core of our national identity, and those ideological lines branch from there, as a way to put those values into action in our daily lives?

For context, today we’re revisiting one of my favourite people in the world - the incredible Stan Grant. 

LINKS:

• Listen to the full interview with Stan from 2021 here
• Listen to my other chat with Stan from 2019 here
• Watch episodes of Better Than Yesterday on YouTube
• Watch Story Club on YouTube and grab tickets to Story Club's next show
• My books So What? Now What? and Back After The Break are available here
• Send a pic of what you're looking at to [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.