Life Matters - Full program podcast

If you missed the rise of dating apps because you were in a long marriage or relationship, it’s very fair to find them a bit intimidating.  

The way we meet potential lovers has changed drastically over the past decade, moving from pubs and parties to the online space.

Hilary navigates these shifts and gets across these new tools, learning how to craft the perfect profile and grappling with the flat way we have to represent ourselves to catch a mate today.

Credits

• Hilary Harper, Presenter
• Nat Tencic, Series Producer
• Matthew Crawford, Mixing and mastering
• Hayley Crane, Executive Producer
• Maria Tickle, Editor - Factual, ABC RN

Hilary goes on her first first-date and finds the goods are not quite what was advertised.

Plus, an oversharing bookseller and the flaky 'poetry guy' test her fragile heart.

How do you deal with people who lie, overshare, or don't respect your feelings? Hilary confronts the reality that the people she meets on the apps might challenge her trust while looking inward at how her baggage affects her interactions. Older daters are covered in scars. Some heartbreaks and hang-ups significantly influence how we connect with others. So, how do we protect ourselves while trying to be vulnerable with strangers?

Credits

• Hilary Harper, Presenter
• Nat Tencic, Series Producer
• Matthew Crawford, Mixing and mastering
• Hayley Crane, Executive Producer
• Maria Tickle, Editor - Factual, ABC RN

Hilary has found someone, and sparks are flying. She's starting to feel the flutter of sexual attraction, but she's worried about breaking her long dry spell.

She takes a hard look in the mirror and considers her relationship with her body and sexuality. With the help of sex therapist Tanya Koens, she learns how to overcome the trauma of her past and embrace pleasure again with someone new.

Credits

• Hilary Harper, Presenter
• Nat Tencic, Series Producer
• Matthew Crawford, Mixing and mastering
• Hayley Crane, Executive Producer
• Maria Tickle, Editor - Factual, ABC RN

Things are going well with Gene. It's the happily ever after Hilary hadn't considered would come so soon, if at all.

He ticks all the boxes and everything feels miraculously right. Is it too soon to use the 'R' word? Or the 'L' word?

At this stage of life, Hil wonders what she's looking for in the long term and where this dating quest is supposed to lead her.  

Credits

• Hilary Harper, Presenter
• Nat Tencic, Series Producer
• Matthew Crawford, Mixing and mastering
• Hayley Crane, Executive Producer
• Maria Tickle, Editor - Factual, ABC RN

Whether you're a saver or a spender, have you ever wondered what drives your behaviour around money?

And what do you do when your best friend and her sister, who is also a friend, are feuding on the netball court and you're caught in the middle?

Ten per cent of Australians have cut it out, but doctors say they may not need to do so. Meanwhile, 80 per cent of those with coeliac disease don’t know they have it. So, whether you have a gluten sensitivity or are coeliac, how do you get the diagnosis and treatment you need?

Plus when Maura Pierlot began reading ethical texts, she found a moral compass that guided her throughout her life. And she believes you’re never too young to learn the art.  

Unions and other bodies are calling for specific types of leave for things like menstruation and menopause, but do we need additional solutions to create truly equitable workplaces?

And as Dungeons & Dragons turns 50, how has the game changed over the years and why is it still capturing the imagination of so many people?

A recent report by the former ACCC chair Alan Fels claims that rising prices have been caused, not just by inflation, but also by companies with too much market power using that position to increase their profits.

What's led to this concentration of corporate power? And what does it mean for consumers, workers, and suppliers?

And prison visits from relatives have been shown to have a positive effect on the prisoner, both in jail and upon release. What can be changed to make the visiting process less fraught?

While casual socialising, without a particular productive purpose, is supposedly on the decline, loneliness is on the rise. What are the causes of our diminishing 'social fitness' and how do we reclaim the lost art of the hang out.

And why do some fruits become part of a country's food culture, while others fall by the wayside?

With the relatively recent rise of dating apps, the world of romance can feel quite foreign to anyone looking for love after the end of a long relationship. Hilary Harper answers questions about what she learnt while documenting and sharing her own foray into the world of online dating after 50 in the audio series — Dated. 

And in Ask Aunty, should a brother be expected to host his nephew during an international trip?