Heart & Soul with David Leser

Benjamin Law reflects on the influence of family, identity and belonging, speaking candidly about his queer identity and the contemporary Australian-Chinese experience he has drawn on throughout his work so far. Self-described on his socials as ‘writer and local homosexual’ Benjamin shares affirming stories from family and professional life, with insights into his career as an author, journalist and screenwriter.  This episode contains talk of nudity and the human body.

A life-long learner and curious being, Bob Carr reveals a life devoted to politics, history and reading, and what it took to learn to live without his lifelong partner Helena after their fifty-year marriage and her sudden death in 2023.

Having travelled the world covering conflict zones, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Geraldine Brooks turned her considerable observation skills to novel writing after deciding to become a mother whilst in a Nigerian prison. When her husband, an acclaimed journalist himself, died suddenly on a book tour, she had to entirely re-frame her life, as well as meet the looming deadline for her bestselling novel Horse.

Deborah Thomas’s career in fashion and media started in the dress-ups of her teen years, took her through the punk scene of Melbourne and onto the catwalks of Europe, before she became known Australia-wide as the Editor in Chief of Australian Women’s Weekly.  She opens up about her stellar media career, then becoming a female CEO in a male dominated industry, and the later career heartbreak of the Dreamworld theme park accident, together with the deep friendship she built in its aftermath.

Midnight Oil’s co-founder, acclaimed drummer and songwriter Rob Hirst talks about his childhood, his early love of the Beatles, the shaping influence of his parents, his relationship to — and song writing process with — his Midnight Oil “blood brothers”, his passion for poetry, melody and history, his love of gardens, family and friends, and, in the face of terminal illness, his gratitude for a blessed life. Rob spoke with David Leser for this podcast just a few months before his death in January 2026.

Starting her career in journalism at sixteen, Jennifer Byrne broke the mould of what women in her family were expected to do in life.  Stories from a privileged childhood, a devastating family scandal, the Packer media empire and journalism in its heyday, Jennifer also opens up about falling in love on the phone and the joys of travel — even to outer space.

Ben Quilty on love, masculinity, anxiety and the power of kindness. This wide-ranging conversation delves into the art and passions of Ben Quilty, also his friendship with Bali Nine prisoner-turned-artist Myuran Sukumarun, as well as the silence surrounding abuse during his schooling years. A visual artist always asking the ‘why’, Quilty is candid about the ‘unknowingness’ of creating and the cultural importance of art.

Jennifer Robinson speaks about some of her most famous cases and clients — including Julian Assange and Amber Heard - shares insights from her Grandmother and talks about Silenced, the film adaptation of her book, and how achieving change can take a lifetime.

At a time of profound uncertainty and rapid change, Heart & Soul offers a place for spacious, thoughtful conversation with people who have deeply impacted our lives, as well as an opportunity to reflect more deeply on what it means to be human. A series of conversations — hosted by award-winning Australian journalist, author, and public speaker, David Leser — that delve deeply into some of the themes crying out for our attention, not the least being how to find empathy in an age of outrage.