Better Than Yesterday with Osher Günsberg

In this powerful conversation, Osher Gunsberg sits down with journalist and author Hannah McElhinney to explore the complex world of chronic illness, medical misinformation, and what can happen when people lose trust in the systems designed to help them.

Hannah shares the deeply personal story that inspired her latest book - the loss of her cousin Lauren, and the journey to understand how someone searching for answers to chronic pain and illness could become drawn into alternative treatments, online health communities, and misinformation.

Having had his own experience with chronic pain, Osher and Hannah unpack the desperation that drives some people to seek out alternative solutions, the need to feel heard, and the longing for a diagnosis or treatment when conventional medicine doesn’t have easy answers. They also discuss health anxiety, patient mistrust, medical misogyny, systemic failures within healthcare systems, and how vulnerable people can be exploited by those offering certainty and “miracle” cures.

Hannah and Osher also explore why empathy matters when talking about health misinformation — and why understanding someone’s experience is often the first step toward actually helping them find their way back to evidence-based care.

LINKS 

• Hannah's book 'Wormhole' is available now
• Follow Hannah (@hannahemcelhinney) on Instagram
• Watch Osher's documentary 'A World Of Pain' on SBS On Demand
• 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] 

LIKE THIS EPISODE? CHECK THESE OUT...

• The Reality of Living In The Outback: Brendan Cullen's Journey from Pain to Purpose
• Resetting your Nervous System with Jessica Maguire
• How Radio Star Robin Bailey Kept Going Through Unimaginable Grief - Twice

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this powerful conversation from the Better Than Yesterday archives, Michelle Cowan shares the lessons she’s learned from breaking barriers, challenging expectations, and building a career in a space where she was told she didn’t belong.

From writing letters to every AFL club as a teenager to becoming a leader the code, Michelle reveals the mindset that helped her keep going when others doubted her. She shares practical tools for handling criticism, staying confident in difficult environments, navigating challenging conversations, and knowing when it’s time to step away from a place that no longer aligns with your values.

It's a conversation about resilience, courage, leadership, and creating your own path — even when nobody else can see it yet.

LINKS 

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

LIKE THIS EPISODE? CHECK THESE OUT...

• How to Communicate Better in Every Conversation with Jefferson Fisher
• The Iconic founder Adam Jacobs' reveals his top 3 ideas for success
• What does it take to stay on your path when everything's falling apart?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why does it feel like political conversations have become so hostile? And why are so many Australians losing trust in politicians, the media, and the systems designed to represent them?

In this episode, Osher Günsberg is joined by independent political commentator Konrad Benjamin, better known online as Punter’s Politics. From his beginnings as a high school teacher in Newcastle to building a massive online audience, Konrad has become known for cutting through political spin and explaining Australian political system in plain English. 

Osher and Konrad explore the growing divide in modern political discourse (particularly surrounding left vs right polarisation), the rise of tribalism, and how social media algorithms push people into 'echo chambers'

Konrad shares why he believes Australians are actually less divided than we’re often led to believe, and why issues like political corruption, lobbying, housing affordability, and the influence of money in politics are now uniting people across the political spectrum.

They also discuss the 'revolving' door between politicians and staffers and the corporate industries they regulate, removing big money and corporate donations from politics, the dangers of treating political opponents as enemies, and the importance of empathy when engaging with people whose views differ from our own.

LINKS 

• Listen to the Punter's Politics podcast here
• Follow Konrad (@punterspolitics) on Instagram
• Watch Punter's Politics on YouTube
• 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] 

LIKE THIS EPISODE? CHECK THESE OUT...

• The Truth Crisis: Separating Facts from Beliefs, Misinformation and Propaganda with Dom Thurbon
• Motivated Reasoning: Why We Believe What We Want with Peter Singer 
• How The Netherlands Turned an Oil Crisis Into a National Opportunity

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Osher revisits one of the most impactful conversations from the show with productivity expert and bestselling author Ali Abdaal.

Ali breaks down a radically different approach to productivity — one built around enjoyment, play, and designing systems that actually work with your brain instead of against it.

Osher and Ali explore why “enjoyment is efficiency,” how stress quietly sabotages performance, and why procrastination isn’t a character flaw - it’s usually just a systems problem.

Ali also shares practical ways to make even the most mundane tasks more enjoyable, explains the difference between hardware and software problems in our lives, and reveals the simple tweaks that helped him stop wasting hours doomscrolling at night.

It's an episode packed with practical tools for anyone feeling overwhelmed, burned out, distracted, or stuck in the cycle of trying harder and getting nowhere. But there's so much more in the full chat - check out the link to that below.

LINKS 

• Listen to the full episode with Ali here
• Check out his YouTube is channel
• His New York Times bestselling book is Feel Good Productivity
• Get tickets for our next Story Club show
• 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 Osher's latest book "So What? Now What?" here
• Send a pic of what you're looking at to [email protected] 

LIKE THIS EPISODE? CHECK THESE OUT...

• The Mindset Behind Daniel MacPherson's Transformation for latest film 'Beast'
• The New Leadership Playbook: Why Caring Workplaces Win with Graeme Cowan
• Why Winning Doesn’t Always Make You Happy with Ben Crowe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is the way we were brought up the best way to raise our kids today?

In this deeply honest and insightful conversation, Osher speaks with family therapist, educator and author Lisa Taylor to explore the emotional patterns that shape family life — often without us even realising it. From childhood “heartprints” and generational conditioning to emotional regulation, repair and connection, Lisa explains why parenting is less about control and more about awareness.

Lisa shares her own journey from overwhelmed young mum to one of Australia’s most trusted parenting voices, opening up about grief, perfectionism, anxiety and the moment she realised there had to be a better way to parent. She also unpacks why children’s behaviour is all about communication, how unresolved childhood experiences influence our reactions as parents, and why "rupture and repair" is an essential part of healthy relationships.

This conversation also explores boundaries, teenage behaviour, emotional resilience, social media, discipline, and the pressure modern parents feel to “get it right, all the time". Whether you’re raising toddlers, teenagers, or reflecting on your own upbringing, this conversation offers practical tools, compassion and reassurance for anyone trying to build deeper connection within their family.

LINKS 

• Lisa's book The Perfect Parent Trap is available now
• More information on Strengthening Families Australia
• Follow Lisa (@lisataylor.au) on Instagram
• 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] 

LIKE THIS EPISODE? CHECK THESE OUT...

• For grown men to ‘do better’ we must all ’do better’ for our young boys (with Maggie Dent)
• Anger Is Not Failure: Rethinking Motherhood with Lauren Novak
• This is how we help young men - unpacking 'Adolescence' with Dr Billy Garvey 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when you spend more than 20 years standing at the crossroads between life and death? You learn A LOT.

In this powerful conversation, intensive care doctor and author Dr Matt Morgan shares the lessons he's taken from caring for hundreds of patients who have experienced cardiac arrest, near-death experiences, and life-changing moments in the ICU.

Matt reveals the moments that have reshaped the way he thinks about regret, forgiveness, relationships, and what truly matters when everything else is stripped away.

He also shares practical advice having witnessed people lose everything they thought defined them.

In those moments, he's seen what remains: connection, love, memories, and meaning. Because the question is not just what happens at the end of life — it’s what we choose to do with the time we have before then.

LINKS 

• Listen to the full episode with Matt here
• More on Dr Matt Morgan here
• Watch full stories recorded live at  Story Club on YouTube
• Get tickets for our next Story Club show
• 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 Osher's latest book "So What? Now What?" here
• Send a pic of what you're looking at to [email protected] 

LIKE THIS EPISODE? CHECK THESE OUT...

• Anger Is Not Failure: Rethinking Motherhood with Lauren Novak
• Resetting Your Idea of Success with Brandon Jack
• Stop Yelling, Start Laughing: Maggie Dent's Non-Perfect Guide to Connecting with Your Kids

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest this week is someone many Australians have grown up watching — perhaps on Neighbours, maybe on Dancing With The Stars, perhaps even Strike Back. Now Daniel MacPherson has taken on one of the most physically and emotionally demanding roles of his career for the film Beast.

In this conversation, we go far beyond the world of film and television, delving into identity, fatherhood, mental health, discipline, addiction, physical resilience, reinventing yourself in your 40s, and what it's really like to work with Russell Crowe.

Daniel opens up about the making of his new film Beast, the brutal physical preparation behind it, and why the story connected so deeply with him on a personal level. We also get into the realities of chasing purpose after success, the pressure many men carry silently, and the role movement, breathwork, training, and community can play in staying mentally strong.

It's an honest, thoughtful, and surprisingly vulnerable chat with a guy who’s spent years pushing himself physically and creatively, and who’s now doing some of the best work of his life.

LINKS 

• Beast is streaming now on Stan in Australia
• For international viewers, find where to watch Beast here
• Follow Daniel (@danmacpherson) on Instagram
• 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] 

LIKE THIS EPISODE? CHECK THESE OUT...

• 'Comfort Is Holding You Back': Secrets to Growth and Confidence with Ant Williams
• Natalie Bassingthwaighte Lifts the Curtain on Her Career & Personal Struggles
• How Savage Garden's Darren Hayes went from 'Unlovable' to beloved

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Watching the Kylie Minogue documentary on Netflix with Audrey the other night, I was so happy to see my friend (and Kylie's sister) Dannii Minogue appear.

There was a time when I thought I knew all about Dannii - that was until I worked with her for the very first time in 2009. I had been called in at the very last minute to work with Dannii to cover a prominent breakfast radio shift, and was immediately blown away at how this incredible woman handled herself just with absolute grace, absolute commitment and focus at all times.

I then had the pleasure of working with Dannii again on The Masked Singer Australia. I have learned so much from her. I continue to learn so much from her about what it is to show up, what it is to be in business, how one can stay afloat in times of uncertainty, how one can stay focused in times of pressure. 

In this episode, I'm taking a look back at two big showbiz lessons Dannii shared with me on the show a few years ago. While they're from her entertainment world, they are lessons we can all apply to our everyday lives. And if you get the chance, check out the Kylie doco on Netflix!

LINKS 

• Listen to the full episode with Dannii here
• Watch full stories recorded live at Story Club on YouTube
• Get tickets for our next Story Club show
• 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 Osher's latest book "So What? Now What?" here
• Send a pic of what you're looking at to [email protected] 

LIKE THIS EPISODE? CHECK THESE OUT...

• The business end of show business with the unstoppable Dannii Minogue
• Natalie Bassingthwaighte Lifts the Curtain on Her Career & Personal Struggles
• Connecting Communities Through Creativity with Diesel (aka Mark Lizotte)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if the key to a better life isn't avoiding discomfort - but actively seeking it?

In this powerful conversation, Osher sits down with performance psychologist, leadership coach, and world-record holding freediver Ant Williams to explore why some of life's greatest breakthroughs happen when we step into fear rather than run from it.

Drawing on decades of experience helping athletes, leaders, and high performers build their resilience, Ant shares remarkable stories from the extremes of human endurance, including deep ocean freediving, swimming beneath ice, encounters with sharks, and moments where staying calm was the difference between life and death.

But this episode goes far beyond adventure - Ant also reveals practical strategies for managing anxiety, building resilience, handling difficult conversations, improving performance and developing the self-awareness needed to grow through life's challenges.

He also opens up about leaving a fundamentalist church, overcoming fear-based thinking, and how deliberately embracing discomfort transformed his life.

Whether you're navigating career pressure, parenting challenges, relationship struggles, or simply looking to become more mentally resilient, this conversation offers actionable tools to help you stay calm, focused, and confident when it matters most.

LINKS 

• Ant's book 'Let It Be Tough: Train your mind to perform under pressure' is available now
• See more of Ant in his episode of the Apple TV series 'Adventure'
• Follow Ant (@freediveguy) on Instagram
• More on Ant's leadership consulting work
• 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] 

LIKE THIS EPISODE? CHECK THESE OUT...

• The New Leadership Playbook: Why Caring Workplaces Win with Graeme Cowan
• Why Winning Doesn’t Always Make You Happy with Ben Crowe
• Breaking Down, Rebuilding, Unmasking and Finding a New Manual for Your Brain, with Em Rusciano

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a world where the old 'social contract' has been tossed out the window, where AI is taking over human resources and the 'traditional' path feels more like a dead end - where do you look for the new rules of survival? 

Do you look to the old school executive leaders or do you look to the fringes, the creatives, the disruptors? Perhaps there are still ideas and business models which come from well outside the norm that can offer unconventional ways we could move ahead and possibly even achieve unreasonable results?

In this episode, we’re looking back at my chat with economic historian and author of The Misfit Economy Alexa Clay, who spent years inside informal, grey, and black markets, talking to gang leaders, hackers, and pirates, and discovered that they weren't 'just criminals' - they were the most agile entrepreneurs on the planet.

And while the story we’re often told about great business leaders is almost always 'the lone genius with a venture capital war chest', Alexa noticed that the most radical innovation happens when there is zero safety net. So could this 'grey market' be the blueprint for an increasingly uncertain economy?

LINKS 

• Listen to the full episode with Alexa here
• Watch full stories recorded live at Story Club on YouTube
• Get tickets for our next Story Club show
• 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 Osher's latest book "So What? Now What?" here
• Send a pic of what you're looking at to [email protected] 

LIKE THIS EPISODE? CHECK THESE OUT...

• The Human Cost of Our Energy Dependence
• The Truth Crisis: Separating Facts from Beliefs, Misinformation and Propaganda with Dom Thurbon
• The Concept Of Common Knowledge with Steven Pinker

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.