Life Matters

Off-label prescribing of semaglutide drugs for weight loss has attracted a lot of controversy, especially as the drug remains in short supply as a type-2 diabetes treatment.

But the ire directed at larger individuals, both for using the drug and refusing not to, is rooted in fatphobia. We explore the state of Ozempic in Australia and what it's really like to use it for weight loss.

Plus, learn why the next generation of fiancées are turning away from the classic diamond engagement ring, and artist David Bromley opens up about his anxiety and the ways his art helps him stay on track.

Getting inked is a personal act for many of us, and attitudes to that act have changed a lot over time and between cultures.

We look at the stories behind people's tattoos and why people get the ones they do.

And we dive into the politics of Zoom calls and whether camera on is a fair default with Simon Taylor and Clare Bowditch.

What does it take to turn your life around? Does it take a certain personality type? A dire situation? Or is transformation within reach for all of us?

In the last instalment of our Leap series, we look at how you can make a big change in your life.

And author Jaclyn Crupi talks about deepening her relationship with pasta and how the Italian staple connects her to her family.

The federal government has announced a new campaign encouraging more Australians to ‘be that teacher.’ But with teacher shortages becoming more common across the country, what bigger changes are necessary to attract new teachers and retain the ones currently working?

Plus, researchers are working to understand precisely how those kilos of microbes affect our health, but they're also seeing a significant drop in the diversity of that microbiome. A new documentary examines the research of leading scientists on the human microbiome, The Invisible Extinction. Scientists Gloria Dominguez-Bello and Marty Blaser explain their research.

Is the way we live our busy, disconnected lives, making us sick? Canadian physician Dr Gabor Mate  believes so. He has a lot to say about the impact of trauma on children and how physical and mental illness can show up in our bodies later in life. We revisit his interview from earlier in the year, and include a follow up with an autoimmune expert, to explore some of the assertions Dr Mate makes.

Have you ever wished you could be at your own funeral? There's no reason why you can't.

More people are considering the 'living funeral', a celebration of life with the dying person in attendance. We explore the pros and cons of this event, and what it can offer to both the dying and the to-be bereaved.

How does pain in children's television programs influence our kids' relationship with pain? We explore the latest research.

And feminist writer Clementine Ford makes the case for abolishing marriage in her new book I Don't.

You hear a lot of wedding vows where people were overjoyed to "marry their best friend", but it's less common that they were that way before becoming romantically involved.

Dating friends is divisive - high risk, but potentially high reward too. We look at how to get it right.

Plus, Lizzy Hoo and Alex Dyson take a party clash dilemma out of the Too Hard Basket.

Break-ups in the modern era don't leave us with much recompense, except for maybe "forgetting" to return an ex's favourite book, but what if you could take legal action and charge your ex with ‘lacerating your emotions’?

We look back at the Breach of Promise Act, a moment in history when Australians lived could sue former lovers for emotional damages, and what it says about how we love today.

Plus, in the fourth instalment of Leap, we meet Derick Cusack, who leapt from substance abuse into marathon running and never looked back.

Parents are estimated to be the ninth-largest lender in Australia, with many helping their kids enter the housing market in whatever way they can.

We explore the flow-on effects this is having on the housing market, wealth distribution and even family relationships. 

Plus, a look at language, rhetoric and reality, and how to spot the reality behind fuzzy messages.

The federal government has announced $3.5 million in funding to combat the impact of misogynistic influencers like Andrew Tate. So what works to promote healthy masculinity?

Plus, for Halloween we explore why some people love a scary story.

And how a lack of teacher diversity in the classroom is doing our children a disservice.