Extraordinary Stories

Mamamia subscribers can listen now at www.mamamia.com.au/mplus 

In this season of Extraordinary Stories, we’re taking a closer look at the women who married into America’s most influential family, the Kennedy’s. From incredible triumph to unspeakable loss, these women weren’t just on the sidelines of history, they were living it. Whilst it may be their husband’s names inked in modern textbooks, some of the most extraordinary stories of their time belong to the women. Jacqueline Bouvier, Ethel Skakel and Carolyn Bessette. In our first episode, we’re starting with the woman whose pink Chanel suit and pillbox hat is imprinted memories around the world. Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis.

Coming Soon. 

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[Part 3 of 3] Belle Gibson spent years lying about her health. From those early skater chatroom claims that she had died on the operating table during heart surgery, to a terminal brain cancer diagnosis, and finally, revelations that cancer had spread through her entire body. She had built a business out of peddling her strategy for treating that cancer; with food. She said it was curing her, and could (for a small fee) cure you, too. But in March 2015, everything came undone, and it wasn't only Belle's followers who wanted answers. The police did too. 

With thanks to
Tara Brown
Tom Cowie
Dr Marc Feldman
James D'Apice
Kylie Willey
60 Minutes.

CREDITS:
Host: Emma Gillespie
Writers: Emma Gillespie and Holly Wainwright
Producer: Emma Gillespie
Guest bookings: Melanie Sauer
Audio Production: Madeline Joannou
Executive Producer: Holly Wainwright and Elissa Ratliff

SOURCES:
Confronting Belle Gibson

The Woman Who Fooled The World by Beau Donnelly and Nick Toscano

Fake Medicine by Brad Mckay

The Girl Who Conned Us All by Clair Weaver 

https://www.nowtolove.com.au/news/local-news/belle-gibson-speaks-for-the-first-time-since-her-whole-pantry-controversy-13532
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/nov/13/behind-belle-gibsons-cancer-con-everything-about-this-story-is-extreme
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/munchausen-syndrome-why-bloggers-cancer-fraud-belle-gibson-fake-sickness-online-10215185.html

GET IN TOUCH:
Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at [email protected]
Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

[Part 2 of 3] Belle Gibson was travelling to Queensland for a funeral when she was first contacted by Melbourne newspaper, The Age. Reporters were seeking clarification. They wanted to know exactly how much of the money that Belle was making was going to charity. By 2015, The Whole Pantry had become a hugely successful app, blog and book. Belle had always publicly pledged that a sizeable chunk of the money it was making was being redistributed to charities and various worthy causes, but was that true? In this episode of Extraordinary Stories, we’ll learn how it all came crashing down for the so-called 'Wellness Warrior,' Belle Gibson, and how a woman who once provided hope for some of the nations most vulnerable people, exploited them for cash and clout.

With thanks to
Bronwyn McCahon,
Tara Brown
Tom Cowie
Marc Feldman
James D'Apice
Kylie Willey

CREDITS:

Host: Emma Gillespie

Writers: Emma Gillespie and Holly Wainwright

Producers: Melanie Sauer and Emma Gillespie

Audio Production: Elissa Ratliff and Madeline Joannou

Executive Producer: Holly Wainwright and Elissa Ratliff

SOURCES:

The Woman Who Fooled The World by Beau Donnelly and Nick Toscano 

Fake Medicine by Brad Mckay

The Girl Who Conned Us All by Clair Weaver https://www.nowtolove.com.au/news/real-life/belle-gibson-the-whole-story-10129

https://www.nowtolove.com.au/news/local-news/belle-gibson-speaks-for-the-first-time-since-her-whole-pantry-controversy-13532 

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/nov/13/behind-belle-gibsons-cancer-con-everything-about-this-story-is-extreme

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/munchausen-syndrome-why-bloggers-cancer-fraud-belle-gibson-fake-sickness-online-10215185.html

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at [email protected]

Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

[Part 1 or 3] Belle Gibson fooled not only her hundreds of thousands of followers, but the most prestigious book publishers in Australia, the tech giants of silicon valley and even her family and friends into believing she was something she was not: sick. If today, her name is synonymous with the weighty infamy of a notorious scam, there was a time before that, when she was celebrated as an inspiration.

On this episode of Extraordinary Stories, we look at the rise of Belle Gibson. From tall tales in school drama classes to international acclaim and influence, how did Annabelle Natalie Gibson become the pinup girl for the wellness movement?

With thanks to:

Bronwyn McCahon
Doctor Brad McKay
Kylie Willey 
Tara Brown

Sources:

The Woman Who Fooled The World by Beau Donnelly and Nick Toscano 

Fake Medicine by Brad Mckay

The Girl Who Conned Us All by Clair Weaver https://www.nowtolove.com.au/news/real-life/belle-gibson-the-whole-story-10129

https://www.nowtolove.com.au/news/local-news/belle-gibson-speaks-for-the-first-time-since-her-whole-pantry-controversy-13532 

CREDITS:

Host: Emma Gillespie

Writers: Emma Gillespie and Holly Wainwright

Producers: Melanie Sauer and Emma Gillespie

Audio Production: Elissa Ratliff and Madeline Joannou

Executive Producer: Holly Wainwright and Elissa Ratliff

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at [email protected]

Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Available now.

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode was originally released to MPlus subscribers. Subscribers get early access to Extraordinary Stories, and unlimited access to all Mamamia content. To subscribe head to mamamia.com.au/mplus

It’s heading towards the end of magazines’ influential heyday. The magazine queens are contemplating their next moves as circulation drops and iconic titles begin to wobble. 

For Mamamia’s Founder and Creative Director Mia Freedman, working in magazines was a lifelong dream. One she realised, and then some. In this final episode of Extraordinary Stories, Mia and Bronwyn McCahon talk about the incredible places they got to go and people they got to meet in their magazine heydays and also, what it was like to see the wave of the Internet crashing towards the glossy-mag empire and to be saying, “Um, shouldn’t we… do something about this?” 

THE END BITS:

With thanks to Mia Freedman.

Bronwyn McCahon.

Bridget Griffen-Foley.

Paula Joye.

Louisa Hatfield.

And everyone involved in this extraordinary story. 

Find out more about Extraordinary Stories here.

Find out more about MPlus here.

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at [email protected]

Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/

CREDITS:

Host: Emma Gillespie

Writers: Melanie Sauer, Emma Gillespie and Holly Wainwright

Producers: Melanie Sauer and Emma Gillespie

Audio Production: Elissa Ratliff and Madeline Joannou

Executive Producer: Holly Wainwright and Elissa Ratliff

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode was originally released to MPlus subscribers. Subscribers get early access to Extraordinary Stories, and unlimited access to all Mamamia content. To subscribe head to mamamia.com.au/mplus

What did it take to make a tabloid mag in the It Girl era? You know, the days when Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie or Lindsay Lohan were falling out of cars, in and out of rehab and a ruthless paparazzi pack was documenting all of it? It’s the era that, through a 2021 lens, might be the most problematic of them all, but back then, what was it like to work in the magazines that knew the more outrageous the antics, the higher the sale?

On this episode of Extraordinary Stories: Magazine Queens, Emma Gillespie speaks to Australia’s weekly magazine Queen Louisa Hatfield and Mamamia’s own, former OK! Deputy Editor Holly Wainwright, about the Britney years.

THE END BITS:

With thanks to:

Louisa Hatfield.

And Holly Wainwright.

Find out more about Extraordinary Stories here.

Find out more about MPlus here.

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at [email protected]

Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/

CREDITS:

Host: Emma Gillespie

Writers: Melanie Sauer, Emma Gillespie and Holly Wainwright

Producers: Melanie Sauer and Emma Gillespie

Audio Production: Elissa Ratliff and Madeline Joannou

Executive Producer: Holly Wainwright and Elissa Ratliff

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode was originally released to MPlus subscribers. Subscribers get early access to Extraordinary Stories, and unlimited access to all Mamamia content. To subscribe head to mamamia.com.au/mplus

The 1990s were the era of the supermodels, the waifs, and a trend so deadly it came with a health warning: heroin chic. Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Marie Claire brought luxury to the local newsagent and gave Australian women a taste of the runways of Paris and Milan. A handful of women known by their first names only were on every cover: Naomi, Cindy, Linda, Elle… until the waifs came along and knocked them off. 

On this episode of Extraordinary Stories: Magazine Queens, Emma Gillespie speaks to former Vogue Editor Kirstie Clements about what it was like working in a world that would fly you to Paris for a manicure and also refuse to make clothes that could fit grown-up women. And Paula Joye tells us about what it was like working with the supermodels of the 90s... And yes, she saw them all naked.

THE END BITS:

With thanks to Kirstie Clements here.

And Paula Joye here.

Find out more about Extraordinary Stories here.

Find out more about MPlus here.

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at [email protected]

Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/

CREDITS:

Host: Emma Gillespie

Writers: Melanie Sauer, Emma Gillespie and Holly Wainwright

Producers: Melanie Sauer and Emma Gillespie

Audio Production: Elissa Ratliff and Madeline Joannou

Executive Producer: Holly Wainwright and Elissa Ratliff

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode was originally released to MPlus subscribers. Subscribers get early access to Extraordinary Stories, and unlimited access to all Mamamia content. To subscribe head to mamamia.com.au/mplus

The most infamous battle in Australian magazine history happened against the backdrop of an imploding royal marriage and an obsession with a tortured princess. And the most infamous editor in weekly magazines, Nene King, had exactly the killer instinct to capitalise on it. Welcome to the Diana Wars, when two esteemed editors went head to head in a circulation battle for the eyes and attention of millions of Australian women - whatever the cost. 

In episode two of Extraordinary Stories: Magazine Queens, Nene King, Angela Mollard and Louisa Hatfield talk to Emma Gillespie about an era of tabloid excess, and how it all came crashing down after a midnight high-speed chase through a Parisian tunnel.

THE END BITS:

With thanks to Nene King, Angela Mollard (https://www.instagram.com/angelamollard/  ) and Louisa Hatfield (https://www.instagram.com/louisahatfield1/ )

Find out more about MPlus at www.mamamia.com.au/mplus 

RESOURCES WE USED:

Nene King by Peter Fitzsimons 

Paper Giants: Magazine Wars https://www.abc.net.au/tv/papergiants/ 

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at [email protected]

Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/

CREDITS:

Host: Emma Gillespie

Writers: Melanie Sauer, Emma Gillespie and Holly Wainwright

Producers: Melanie Sauer and Emma Gillespie

Audio Production: Elissa Ratliff and Madeline Joannou

Executive Producer: Holly Wainwright and Elissa Ratliff

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode was originally released to MPlus subscribers. Subscribers get early access to Extraordinary Stories, and unlimited access to all Mamamia content. To subscribe head to mamamia.com.au/mplus

In a chaotic Sydney share-house in the Spring of 1972, a disheveled actor was lying naked on the fraying couch of an inner-city living room. The woman who had paid Jack Thompson $400 was wondering if the actor’s left hand was really big enough to cover his modesty and get her history-making magazine past the conservative censors who’d decide if it would make it to newsagent shelves. The Editor? Ita Buttrose. The magazine? Cleo. 

On this first episode of Extraordinary Stories: Magazine Queens, Australian icon Ita Buttrose, historian Bridgette Griffin-Foley and others who lived through it take us back to the birth of a sensation: Australia’s Cleo Magazine. 

THE END BITS:

With thanks to Ita Buttrose and Bridget Griffen-Foley

Find out more about MPlus at www.mamamia.com.au/mplus 

RESOURCES WE USED:

Australian Story on Kerry Packer https://www.abc.net.au/austory/a-complicated-life-part-1/12858254 

Paper Giants: The Birth Of Cleo https://www.abc.net.au/tv/papergiants/ 

A Passionate Life by Ita Buttrose 

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at [email protected]

Need more lols, info and inspo in your ears? Find more Mamamia podcasts here... https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/

CREDITS:

Host: Emma Gillespie

Writers: Melanie Sauer, Emma Gillespie and Holly Wainwright

Producers: Melanie Sauer and Emma Gillespie

Audio Production: Elissa Ratliff and Madeline Joannou

Executive Producer: Holly Wainwright and Elissa Ratliff

Subscribe to Mamamia: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.