Jared spent his childhood behind the scenes at the Museum of the Northern Territory, up close to prehistoric kangaroo fossils, opulent trading pearls, and sacred crocodiles flown in from Arnhem Land. Then he became the museum's taxidermist

Yuwaalaraay writer, storyteller and performer, Nardi Simpson of the Stiff Gins talks about her life, art and the meaning of country

Lennie Gwyther was 9 years old when he rode Ginger Mick from country Victoria to Sydney to be at the opening of the Bridge (R)

Pico was a journalist in New York when a 20-hour layover at Narita airport in Japan made him question everything. He decided to begin again as a monk at a Zen temple in Kyoto. But things didn't go entirely to plan

Peggy McDonald has spent much of her life as wildlife carer who specialises in helping wedge-tail eagles, falcons, owls and other raptors recover their ability to fly

How Michael Pollan 'shook the snowglobe' of his mind by investigating the therapeutic effects of psychedelic substances

In 2006 writer Michael Pollan became aware of new research into the therapeutic effects of psychedelics.

He found that drugs such as LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) can help to alleviate depression, anxiety and addiction.

Then he met terminally ill patients who administered large doses of these substances, and who then found themselves to be happy and at peace. 

Michael was nearly 60 when he took LSD for the first time, and some time later he smoked the venom of the Sonoran Desert toad.

To binge even more great episodes of the ‘Conversations podcast’ with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Further information

First broadcast July 2019

How to Change Your Mind is published by Penguin

Brendan James Murray on the elusive copper-coloured snake species which terrorised post WWII North Queensland (R)

Sharonne Zaks was working as a dentist when an encounter with a patient named Anna led her to develop a radical new branch of dentistry (R)

Throughout the 1930s and 40s, Arthur Stace rose before dawn to write a one-word sermon in chalk on the footpaths of Sydney. Writer Roy Williams unearthed the truth about Arthur Stace's life story with the help of those who knew him personally (R)