Life Matters

It's another year where Christmas might not look like what the young people in your life are used to, as cost of living pressures have us cutting back on the trappings and tinsel.

We look at how to broach this with children, and use the moment to teach kids important lessons about budgeting and materialism

Why do some people seem to have confidence and others don't? We look at how to find that self-belief that can carry you through the world, and why confidence does not always equal high self-esteem.

Plus, we navigate an awkward dilemma around babysitting children in a very unclean house, with comedians Kyran Nicholson and Jennifer Wong.

War, death, climate destruction and disease - given the state of the news, it's easy to feel like everything is hopeless. 

But good things are also happening around the world, from poverty rates falling to the advancement of women's and LGBTQ+ rights, and yet, we rarely hear about it.

Future Crunch co-founder Dr Angus Hervey explains why solutions-focused stories of progress need to be told.

Plus, an organisation finding novel pathways to work for those struggling to find it.

Since the turn of the century, house prices have significantly outpaced other parts of the economy, like wages.

While that's been great news for those who've received good returns on their investments, but has lead to tough times for anyone paying off a mortgage or trying to buy their first home. 

It's been signalled as a crisis for years, but what really needs to change to close the divide between the haves and the wants? Finance journalist Alan Kohler discusses the range of factors at play.

Plus, Jimmy Rees on how being a children's entertainer shaped him as a father. 

It's been 100 years since RN started broadcasting, and over that century, it's been a powerful fixture in people's lives.

But as the media landscape changes, is public radio being drowned out? Or is it more necessary than ever? We look at how public radio is evolving for the future.

Plus, beachgoers live in terror of coming across a shark on a summer swim, but they might not deserve their bad reputation. We look at whether we need to be so scared of sharks.

In periods of chronic stress, like the one we're in now, substance abuse risk goes up. But is that the same for everyone?

We look at who is more at risk of addiction and how to protect people in stressful times.

Plus, a look at why Australians are turning away from travel to the USA, and how Christmas feasting has changed throughout history.

Inherited traditions can connect us to family and culture, but they aren't for everyone. How do you break away and find your own path, without burning too many bridges?

Plus, we get into dog beach drama for the Too Hard Basket with comedian Michelle Brasier and writer Patrick Lenton.

Having a baby is never easy, but if you have perinatal depression or anxiety, it can be outright impossible .

So why is it still so hard for women to get support they need- particularly the medication that may be a lifesaver?

Plus, meet the communities restoring our ecosystem with tiny forests. 

Language learning programs are shifting around Australia, and not in ways that always reflect the communities in which they're run.

We look at how we can set language priorities to make communities stronger.

Plus, Sonny Jane Wise discusses changing our thinking around neurodiversity. 

Across the country, thousands of Australians have been receiving that dreaded letter from the ATO, letting them know that they have an outstanding tax debt.

The ATO has said that they want to increase the visibility of the debts, but why now? How does someone end up with an unexpected tax debt? And how does the ATO decide what to forgive and what to collect?

Plus, author Jane Gilmore looks at the quality of fairytale princesses as role models, and finds they come up short under feminist scrutiny. So what stories should we tell our kids?

And while it's become something of a meme (#foodporn), we still love to post pictures and videos our food, so why the urge to share what's on our plate with the world?