Big Small Talk

From WitchTok and tarot cards to manifestation and etsy witches - it seems women are embracing their witchy side more than ever.

But whats the darker history of witches? For centuries, women accused of witchcraft were feared, persecuted and killed, and with them, generations of knowledge, traditions and stories were lost.

This week, Sarah is joined by award-winning journalist and author of The Good Witch, Lucianne Tonti, to unpack the fascinating history of witches, why we’re reclaiming witchcraft today, and what our obsession with all things mystical says about modern womanhood.

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This ep was produced by Sarah Jane Adams

Hello!!! The U.S. midterm elections are a week away (a.k.a nerd Christmas) and boy do we have the segment for you. Hannah walks us through the stakes, the key races, and the all important question: do the Democrats actually stand a chance? 

Then Sarah talks about the second-biggest political decision of the year – People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive. She explains how the competition started, and how we ended up with this year’s pick, sweetie pie Noah Wyle. 

Plus – Netanyahu loses the Israel election, and Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato are friends again in the name of… blush??

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This ep was produced by Sarah Jane Adams and Justine Landis-Hanley.

Everyone wants a village, but nobody wants to be a villager. It’s the phrase taking over the internet, and it raises a pretty uncomfortable question - have we become so obsessed with protecting our peace and setting boundaries that we’ve forgotten how to actually show up for our friends?

This week, we’re joined by internationally recognised friendship expert, journalist and author of Modern Friendship, Anna Goldfarb, to unpack why adult friendships feel harder than ever.

We talk the different types of friendship we should experience, what we should be expecting and how to not only make but maintain your best friends. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Elizabeth Holmes a bad person? Or is she a person who did bad things?

We’re back for part two of our series on Elizabeth Holmes – the Silicon Valley darling-turned-fraudster who falsely promised that her company could run lab tests with just a single drop of blood.

It’s 2014 and things are looking good for Elizabeth. Her company is valued at $9 billion. Magazines are making her out as a once-in-a-generation, world-saving genius. 

But the cracks are starting to show: Suspicions are rising. Former employees are starting to talk. And a Wall Street Journal reporter is on the case.

Like what you heard? We recommend:

• Bad Blood by John Carreyrou
• The Dropout podcast (Spotify or Apple)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everyone is talking about Elizabeth Holmes.

She’s the star of Nathan Fielder’s buzzy documentary, You Can See Everything. Consider this month’s Big Talk your pre-show guide – everything you need to know before you head to the movies. 

But hey, even if you have no interest in watching that film (even though it might be the first doco to win Best Picture at the Oscars EVER), we think you’ll still LOVE these two eps.

Because the story of Elizabeth Holmes and her company, Theranos, is like a movie in itself. It’s wild, dramatic, and, at times, unbelievable. It’s about a 19-year-old who took on an industry with a ‘fake it ‘til’ you make it’ attitude, and gambled people’s lives in the process.

In part one, we go back to the beginning: Elizabeth’s time at Stanford, Theranos’ meteoric rise, and… what was really going on behind closed doors.

Like what you heard? We recommend:

• Bad Blood by John Carreyrou
• The Dropout podcast (Spotify or Apple)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello hello. Do we have an episode for you this week or what!

First up, Hannah talks us through the latest allegations against Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Apparently, Dutch spies hacked his phone and he’s allegedly been receiving some LARGE sums of money from Middle Eastern leaders to influence foreign policy. But this isn’t the only scandal he’s caught up in…

Then, Glee is returning! And Lea Michelle, Diana Agron, and Heather Morris are among the confirmed cast. Sarah revisits the highs and lows of the show that helped raise us, and asks: is this a good idea!?

Plus: why people are protesting across France, the criminal allegations against Megan Markle’s dad, Brazil’s shock election results, and the latest on Helen Haines’ attack.

Like what you hear? Let’s be friends!

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This ep was produced by Sarah Jane Adams and Justine Landis-Hanley

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ashe is a huge US based singer-songwriter, a collaborator of FINNEAS (Billie Eilish’s brother and creative partner), and now the voice behind 'Stop the Wedding!', the viral song making women everywhere rethink what they should expect from love.

And what if expecting more from our life and relationships wasn't cynical, but actually the most romantic and joyous thing we could do?

After going through a divorce in her twenties, Ashe is now happily remarried, and has some beautiful wisdom to share about walking away, and how having big expectations for your life might just be a wonderful thing. 

Also, her new album is one of the best things I've listened to all year. Enjoy !!! 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi everyone. This episode is coming amidst some tragic developing news: independent federal politician, Helen Haines, is in a critical condition after a man purposefully drove into her multiple times outside her office.

Hannah shares what we know so far about the attack, and discusses the rise we have seen in threats towards female politicians. Note: since recording, the suspect, Brendan Nugent, has been publicly named. Latest reports also say that one of Ms Haines’ legs has been amputated.

Then, Sarah explains why Sally Rooney’s support for Palestine is seeing her books pulled from UK shelves. The situation also raises some pretty uncomfortable questions about how Britain's terrorism laws are being applied.

Plus: how Trump’s press secretary, Katie Zacharia, lost her job in just five days, the GIRLS reboot, the allegations against Greens senator Jordon Steele-John, and the shock appearances at the Victoria Secret Runway Show.

Like what you hear? Let’s be friends!

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This ep was produced by Sarah Jane Adams and Justine Landis-Hanley

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is our obsession with being nice is actually part of the problem?

This week on Small Talk, I'm joined by one of Australia's most respected political journalists and authors, Amy Remeikis, to unpack why playing nice might be getting us absolutely nowhere.

Amy is the Chief Political Analyst at The Australia Institute, a contributing editor at The New Daily and is known online as Pyjama Politics. Amy is able to make the complicated world of politics accessible without losing any of its nuance. And her latest book, Screw Nice, makes a compelling case for why it's time to rethink our relationship with politeness.

We talk about why women are conditioned to be agreeable, the difference between being nice and being kind, and why the people causing the most outrage seem to face the fewest consequences.

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This ep was produced by Sarah Jane Adams 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello hello! If you had any doubt before, you can now say for certain that we are living in a dystopian hellhole because the U.S. has announced it will livestream the execution of a prisoner on death row. 

Hannah talks about how this announcement, and the recent failed execution of Christa Pike, has sparked universal outrage from all sides of politics.

Then, Sarah explains why Olivia Dean is being sued for allegedly copying Bill Withers’ classic hit ‘Just the Two of Us’. And the whole debacle has us asking – is it possible for anything in music, fashion or art to feel original these days?

Plus, the Coalition’s migration promise, the Greens’ public supermarket proposal, Mia Goth and Shia Le Bouf’s divorce, One Nation’s racist AI-generated campaign ad, and why actress Selma Blair was arrested at JFK airport.

Send in a question for us to answer next ep %20">HERE on the SpeakPipe. 

Like what you hear? Let’s be friends!

Big Small Talk Instagram

Sarah-Jane’s Instagram

Hannah’s Instagram

This ep was produced by Sarah Jane Adams and Justine Landis-Hanley

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.