Love in Reality

If you enjoy this episode of The Australian Women's Weekly Love Stories, make sure you pop on over and follow us on your podcast app of choice! Here we are on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and even in full video on YouTube (wow!).

About the episode:

This episode discusses mental health, post-traumatic stress disorder and perinatal loss. Support: Lifeline 13 11 14 (24/7) | Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 (24/7) | PANDA 1300 726 306 (perinatal mental health support). 

When Heather Morris met Holocaust survivor Lale Sokolov, she made him a promise: she would never stop trying to tell his story. That promise would eventually lead to The Tattooist of Auschwitz, the bestselling novel that changed her life. 

On this episode of The Australian Women’s Weekly Love Stories, Heather joins Tiffany Dunk for a deeply moving conversation about the many forms love can take. She reflects on growing up in rural New Zealand, the great-grandfather who made her feel heard, her decades working in social work and the love she shared with her late husband, Steve. 

Heather also reveals how she came to writing later in life, why she continues to tell the stories of ordinary people living through extraordinary times, and the remarkable true story behind her latest novel, The Piano Teacher of Montparnasse, about a woman who risked everything to protect a young Jewish girl during in Nazi-occupied Paris. 

Moments you’ll hear: 

• The great-grandfather who taught Heather the importance of listening 

• The love story between Heather and her late husband, Steve 

• What decades in social work taught her about unconditional love and grief 

• The promise she made to Holocaust survivor Lale Sokolov 

• How Heather became a bestselling author later in life 

• The real-life stories behind The Tattooist of Auschwitz 

• How The Piano Teacher of Montparnasse came to be 

• The extraordinary story of a piano that helped a young girl survive the Holocaust 

• Heather’s advice on following your dreams at any age 

You can buy Heather’s newest book, The Piano Teacher of Montparnasse, here  

 

Thank you for listening ❤️ 

Before you leave... 

🗣️ Get in touch 

What did you think? We are a brand-new podcast and would love to hear from you as we build this together. Join our friendly Love Stories community and visit us at womensweekly.com.au 

Email us your love stories (and any feedback) at [email protected] 

If you share your love story on social media please tag us, we''re @womensweeklymag, and use the hashtag #AWWLoveStories 

Subscribe to The Australian Women’'s Weekly at www.womensweekly.com.au  👈🏽 

Credits 

Host: Tiffany Dunk 

Edited by Leah Porges 

Production by Leah Porges 

Our wonderful The Australian Women’'s Weekly team 

Our Head of Vodcasting is Rachel Fountain 

Learn More: The Australian Women’'s Weekly website 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you enjoy this episode of The Australian Women's Weekly Love Stories, make sure you pop on over and follow us on your podcast app of choice! Here we are on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and even in full video on YouTube (wow!).

About the episode:

Pia Miranda and Janine Allis went onto Australian Survivor with very different plans: Pia was determined to win, while Janine was looking for an adventure. Neither expected to find a lifelong best friend along the way. 

After spending around 50 days together without phones, TV or the usual comforts of life, the pair formed an extraordinary bond; one built on humour, honesty, and complete trust.  

Now, seven years after Survivor, Pia and Janine join Tiffany Dunk to talk about the friendship that changed how they see themselves, why they believe true friends should make you the best version of yourself, and how they stay close despite living in different states and having very different lives. 

They also reveal their friendship's love language, their hilarious holiday rituals, why their husbands have accepted that they're basically each other's "wives", and the advice they'd give anyone trying to make meaningful friendships later in life. 

Plus, Pia talks about her new ABC cooking show Recipe of the Year with Adam Liaw, the TV project she and Janine are developing together, and why they're both exploring spirituality and self-growth. 

Moments you’ll hear: 

• How Pia and Janine first met on Australian Survivor 
• The moment Janine tried to vote Pia out and why it cemented their friendship 
• What 50 days without phones, TV or creature comforts revealed about them 
• How Janine helped Pia recognise her own strength 
• How they built complete trust in a game based on paranoia 
• How their friendship has changed the way they approach other relationships 
• The moment Pia realised this was a lifelong friendship 
• How they maintain a close friendship while living in different states 
• Their theory of "friendship buckets" and why happiness can't come from just one person 
• How to recognise when you've found "your people" 
• Their advice for making new friends 
• How they support each other through parenting, work, health and life 
• The TV show they're developing together, exploring spirituality and self-growth 
• Their ideal friendship date: surfing, walking, talking and good food 
• Why they know they'll grow old together 

You can find out more about Recipe of the Year, the new ABC cooking series with Pia Miranda and Adam Liaw here.  

Thank you for listening ❤️ 

Before you leave... 

🗣️ Get in touch 

What did you think? We are a brand-new podcast and would love to hear from you as we build this together. Join our friendly Love Stories community and visit us at womensweekly.com.au 

Email us your love stories (and any feedback) at [email protected] 

If you share your love story on social media please tag us, we're @womensweeklymag, and use the hashtag #AWWLoveStories 

Subscribe to The Australian Women's Weekly at www.womensweekly.com.au 👈🏽 

Credits 

Host: Tiffany Dunk 

Edited by Leah Porges 

Production by Leah Porges 

Our wonderful The Australian Women's Weekly team 

Our Head of Vodcasting is Rachel Fountain 

Learn More: The Australian Women's Weekly website 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you enjoy this episode of The Australian Women's Weekly Love Stories, make sure you pop on over and follow us on your podcast app of choice! Here we are on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and even in full video on YouTube (wow!).

About the episode:

Tegan Higginbotham and Paul Verhoeven's love story began with a very unusual first date: a lingerie football game, followed by a birthday party and their first kiss outside a drag bar. 

Now married, the comedy creators join Tiffany Dunk to talk about their Paris wedding, the proposal almost derailed by a Cornish pasty, the ducks that interrupted their ceremony, and how they navigate working together on Stan's new comedy series, Gnomes. 

They also share what they've learned about love, laughter, communication, and keeping a relationship strong through the highs and lows of two careers in entertainment. 

Moments you’ll hear: 

• Tegan and Paul's very unusual first date 
• How their paths crossed several times before they finally got together 
• Why making each other laugh is such an important part of their relationship 
• Their "anxiety pav" and how food became their love language 
• The proposal that was almost derailed by a Cornish pasty 
• Why they decided to get married in Paris 
• The ducks that dive-bombed their wedding ceremony 
• How they navigated the ups and downs of two careers in entertainment 
• What lockdown taught them about their relationship 
• The "seven-year itch" — and why they were still going strong 
• How Tegan and Paul learned to work together creatively on Gnomes 
• Their advice for couples who work together 
• What they hope their relationship looks like in another 13 years 

You can find out more about Gnomes, the new Stan Original comedy series written by Tegan Higginbotham and Paul Verhoeven, here. 

Thank you for listening ❤️ 

Before you leave... 

🗣️ Get in touch 

What did you think? We are a brand-new podcast and would love to hear from you as we build this together. Join our friendly Love Stories community and visit us at womensweekly.com.au 

Email us your love stories (and any feedback) at [email protected] 

If you share your love story on social media please tag us, we're @womensweeklymag, and use the hashtag #AWWLoveStories 

Subscribe to The Australian Women's Weekly at www.womensweekly.com.au 👈🏽 

Credits 

Host: Tiffany Dunk 

Edited by Phoebe Zukowski-Wallace 

Production by Leah Porges 

Our wonderful The Australian Women's Weekly team 

Our Head of Vodcasting is Rachel Fountain 

Learn More: The Australian Women's Weekly website 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you enjoy this episode of The Australian Women's Weekly Love Stories, make sure you pop on over and follow us on your podcast app of choice! Here we are on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and even in full video on YouTube (wow!).

About the episode:

Shaun Micallef admits he approached fatherhood much like an IKEA flatpack: without reading the instructions. 

Now his middle son Gabe is 26, and the pair have become colleagues, co-hosting Network 10’s Shaun Micallef’s Parents Evening, a game show that tests just how well parents and their adult children really know each other. 

In this episode, Shaun and Gabe sit down with Tiffany Dunk to talk about what Gabe inherited from his dad, growing up with one of Australia’s best-known comedians and how their relationship has changed now that they’re both adults. 

Plus, they reveal how the homemade movies they made together when Gabe was a child may have laid the groundwork for them eventually ending up on television together. 

Moments you’ll hear: 

• Shaun’s theory about whether love actually exists 
• Why Shaun decided not to read the parenting books 
• The simple childhood adventures Gabe remembers with his dad 
• What Gabe inherited from Shaun 
• The homemade movies they made together as a family 
• What it was really like growing up with Shaun Micallef as your dad 
• How Parents Evening brought father and son together professionally 
• What Shaun and Gabe hope for each other’s futures 

Watch Shaun Micallef’s Parents Evening on Network 10 and 10 Play. 

Thank you for listening ❤️ 

Before you leave... 

🗣️ Get in touch 

What did you think? We are a brand-new podcast and would love to hear from you as we build this together. Join our friendly Love Stories community and visit us at womensweekly.com.au 

Email us your love stories (and any feedback) at [email protected] 

If you share your love story on social media please tag us, we're @womensweeklymag, and use the hashtag #AWWLoveStories 

Subscribe to The Australian Women's Weekly at www.womensweekly.com.au 👈🏽 

Sending thanks to our partners at Wounded Heroes. 

You can help Wounded Heroes deliver emergency assistance to current Australian Defence Force members, veterans and their families by donating at: www.woundedheroes.org.au/actsofservice 

Credits 

Host: Tiffany Dunk 

Edited by Leah Porges 

Production by Leah Porges 

Our wonderful The Australian Women's Weekly team 

Our Head of Vodcasting is Rachel Fountain 

Learn More: The Australian Women's Weekly website 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you enjoy this episode of The Australian Women's Weekly Love Stories, make sure you pop on over and follow us on your podcast app of choice! Here we are on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and even in full video on YouTube (wow!).

About the episode:

Brooke McClymont rode her bike past Adam Eckersley 's house every morning on the way to school in Grafton. Most mornings he'd yell out that he was going to marry her one day. She'd yell back "in your dreams, mullet head." 

Ten years later they ran into each other at the pub at Christmas. Adam was living in his van at Merewether Beach. Brooke had a record deal. They sat up all night over cabanossi and brie and eventually worked out that they were more than friends. Then they signed a six-month lease in case it didn't work. That was 18 years ago. 

In this episode of The Australian Women's Weekly Love Stories, the country music couple talk to Tiffany Dunk about making a marriage work in an industry that pulls people apart: the three-week rule for time on the road, the morning shift Adam took for years so Brooke could sleep, and the six weeks he spent alone with two kids in lockdown while Brooke was on I'm a Celebrity. 

They also go to the hard places. The COVID year when they were about to lose the farm, and the idea that saved it. The month Adam stopped getting out of the ute to play with his daughter at the bus stop, and what that told him. And the night he asked Brooke to book him in to talk to someone, because he knew he'd turn up if she did. 

Their third album Souls on Show is out now, and one track, 'In and Out of Love', is the closest thing they have to a marriage manifesto: stay together while you fall in and out of it. Two decades on, Adam still says Brooke has the best female voice in Australia, and she still says he's the best songwriter she's ever written with. 

  

Buy Souls on Show or book tickets to their show here 

Email [email protected] with your date and accommodation preference to book Hang at the Wang 

Sending thanks to our partners at Wounded Heroes Australia.  

You can help Wounded Heroes deliver emergency assistance to current Australian Defence Force members, veterans and their families by donating at: www.woundedheroes.org.au/actsofservice 

Moments you’ll hear: 

• The teenage bike ride past Adam's house, the marriage proposal shouted from the front yard, and the two words Brooke yelled back
• Why Adam says his eldest son, not Brooke, was the first time he ever felt love, and why he still barely says the word
• Cabanossi, brie and an all-night talk: the least romantic "we're official" conversation you'll ever hear
• Living in a van at Merewether Beach, and the night-time toilet runs that finally convinced Brooke to get a lease
• A wedding on the Tamworth farm with Tom Gleeson on the mic, a mud-brown dress and a groom covered in scabies
• The three-week rule that stopped touring from quietly ending their marriage
• Six weeks alone with two kids in lockdown while Brooke was in the jungle, and the letter Adam sent in: "I'm a Parent, Get Me Out of Here"
• Nearly losing the farm during COVID, and the 40-fans-at-a-time idea that saved it
• The bus stop moment that made Adam realise he needed help, and why he asked Brooke to make the booking
• Date night is a fire in the bottom shed, and 20 years from now it's a veggie patch with Brooke on a throne

Thank you for listening ❤️ 

Before you leave... 

🗣️ Get in touch 

What did you think? We are a brand-new podcast and would love to hear from you as we build this together. Join our friendly Love Stories community and visit us at womensweekly.com.au 

Email us your love stories (and any feedback) at [email protected] 

If you share your love story on social media please tag us, we're @womensweeklymag, and use the hashtag #AWWLoveStories 

Subscribe to The Australian Women's Weekly at www.womensweekly.com.au 👈🏽 

Credits 

Host: Tiffany Dunk 

Edited by Phoebe Zukowski-Wallace 

Production by Leah Porges 

Our wonderful The Australian Women's Weekly team 

Our Head of Vodcasting is Rachel Fountain 

Learn More: The Australian Women's Weekly website 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time to bless your feed with a new episode of our heartfelt new podcast, Love Stories, from The Australian Women's Weekly. Love Stories is about celebrating and appreciating love in all its forms. Think the stories behind how your favourite couples first met, siblings who have seen each other through thick and thin, parents and children and the deep bonds we have with our pets, and those who've loved, lost and learned to love themselves again. Find, follow and subscribe (or hit the +) to The Australian Women's Weekly Love Stories wherever you like to listen to or watch your podcasts: on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and more.  There's a gorgeous back catalogue for you to binge on and catch all the feels! Olympic sisters Cate and Bronte Campbell, Georgie Tunny and Rob Mills spill on babies and marriage, Matty and Esther Acton on being 40 year old grandparents, Katie Noonan on the grief of divorce, David and Lisa Campbell on their long marriage, Jess Row and Peter Overton, Julie and Mick Goodwin and so many more!

First, let us introduce you to Mark and Cherelle Herewini , who are part of our special Love Stories: Acts of Service series <3m - made in partnership with our friends at Wounded Heroes. You can help Wounded Heroes deliver emergency assistance to current Australian Defence Force members, veterans and their families by donating at: www.woundedheroes.org.au/actsofservice 

 

Content warning: This episode discusses veteran mental health, alcohol use, and suicide. Support is available: Wounded Heroes Australia crisis line 1300 532 112 (24/7) | Lifeline 13 11 14 (24/7). 

On a 3am car ride home together, Mark and Cherelle Herewini discussed marriage – four weeks later they were husband and wife. Now, after nearly three decades and multiple East Timor deployments, they're still together. But the years right after Mark hung up his uniform were some of the hardest of their marriage. 

In this episode, Mark and Cherelle sit down with Tiffany Dunk to talk about what deployment looked like for a new mum waiting by the phone, the sense of purpose Mark lost the moment he left the Army, and the drinking and distance that crept into their marriage once he was home. 

They also talk candidly about what support really looks like for veteran families, why so many people don't reach out until it's a crisis, and how the work Mark does can support other veterans to find their way back to a sense of purpose. 

To all veterans who may be watching or listening to this episode, we thank you for your service. 

Moments you’ll hear: 

• The 3am decision that led to a wedding just four weeks later 
• Growing up an Army kid, and the promise Cherelle swore she'd never break 
• Racing home from East Timor and missing the birth of their daughter by 12 hours 
• The five-minute phone calls, and the letters Cherelle still has 
• Mark losing his sense of purpose the moment the uniform came off 
• The years of drinking and distance that followed, and how they found their way back 
• What Mark hopes people understand about veterans, and what Cherelle hopes for veteran families 

Thank you for listening ❤️ 

Before you leave...  

🗣️ Get in touch  

What did you think? We are a brand-new podcast and would love to hear from you as we build this together. Join our friendly Love Stories community and visit us at womensweekly.com.au/love-stories-podcast  

Email us your love stories (and any feedback) at [email protected]  

If you share your love story on social media, please tag us. We’re @womensweeklymag, and use the hashtag #AWWLoveStories 

Subscribe to The Australian Women’s Weekly at magshop.com.au/LOVESTORIES 👈🏽  

Sending thanks to our partners at Wounded Heroes Australia.  

You can help Wounded Heroes deliver emergency assistance to current Australian Defence Force members, veterans and their families by donating at: www.woundedheroes.org.au/actsofservice  

Need help now? Wounded Heroes crisis line 1300 532 112, 24/7, Australia wide. 

Credits 

Host: Tiffany Dunk 

Edited by Leah Porges 

Production by Leah Porges 

Our wonderful The Australian Women's Weekly team 

Our Head of Vodcasting is Rachel Fountain 

Learn More: The Australian Women's Weekly website 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time to bless your feed with a new episode of our heartfelt new podcast, Love Stories, from The Australian Women's Weekly. Love Stories is about celebrating and appreciating love in all its forms. Think the stories behind how your favourite couples first met, siblings who have seen each other through thick and thin, parents and children and the deep bonds we have with our pets, and those who've loved, lost and learned to love themselves again. Find, follow and subscribe (or hit the +) to The Australian Women's Weekly Love Stories wherever you like to listen to or watch your podcasts: on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and more.  There's a gorgeous back catalogue for you to binge on and catch all the feels! Olympic sisters Cate and Bronte Campbell, Georgie Tunny and Rob Mills spill on babies and marriage, Matty and Esther Acton on being 40 year old grandparents, Katie Noonan on the grief of divorce, David and Lisa Campbell on their long marriage, Jess Row and Peter Overon, Julie and Mick Goodwin and so many more!

First, let us introduce you to Curtis and Rachel McGrath, who are part of our special Love Stories: Acts of Service series <3 (and who have some very special news to share about their family)

 

Content warning: This episode discusses combat injury, traumatic limb loss and newborn emergency surgery. If it raises anything for you, support is available: Wounded Heroes Australia crisis line 1300 532 112 (24/7 for ADF members, veterans and their families); Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling 1800 011 046 (24/7) | Lifeline 13 11 14 (24/7). 

Curtis McGrath was searching for landmines in Afghanistan when the ground beneath him changed his life forever. Two years into their relationship, Rachel was 1500km away when she got the call. 

In this episode, Curtis and Rachel sit down with Tiffany Dunk to talk about the day everything changed, the months of hospital treatment and rehab that followed, and the slow work of rebuilding a new normal.  

They open up about a proposal on top of a mountain in Canada, the wedding that scraped in just before COVID-19 hit, and becoming parents to a son whose own fight for life began just days after he was born. Plus, there's an exciting announcement about the newest addition to their family. 

To all veterans who may be watching or listening to this episode, we thank you for your service. 

Moments you'll hear: 

• Rachel and Curtis' first meeting, and the door that got shut in his face 
• The blunt question Rachel asked Curtis before he deployed 
• The day in 2012 when everything changed 
• The moment in hospital that made Curtis realise what life looked like now 
• Meeting Prince Harry at the Invictus Games, and what Curtis really thought of him 
• The proposal: a Banff Gondola, lots of stairs and a beautiful sunset 
• A diagnosis days after their son Monty was born 
• An exciting announcement about the newest addition to their family 

Thank you for listening ❤️ 

Before you leave...  

🗣️ Get in touch  

What did you think? We are a brand-new podcast and would love to hear from you as we build this together. Join our friendly Love Stories community and visit us at womensweekly.com.au/love-stories-podcast  

Email us your love stories (and any feedback) at [email protected]  

If you share your love story on social media, please tag us. We’re @womensweeklymag, and use the hashtag #AWWLoveStories 

Subscribe to The Australian Women’s Weekly at magshop.com.au/LOVESTORIES 👈🏽  

Sending thanks to our partners at Wounded Heroes Australia.  

You can help Wounded Heroes deliver emergency assistance to current Australian Defence Force members, veterans and their families by donating at: www.woundedheroes.org.au/actsofservice  

Need help now? Wounded Heroes crisis line 1300 532 112, 24/7, Australia wide. 

Credits 

Host: Tiffany Dunk 

Edited by Leah Porges 

Production by Leah Porges 

Our wonderful The Australian Women's Weekly team 

Our Head of Vodcasting is Rachel Fountain 

Learn more: The Australian Women's Weekly website

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You've been waiting a long time for more episodes from us! So we want to give you a little treat - we're thrilled to introduce to you a heartfelt new podcast from the Australian Women's Weekly called Love Stories. Hosted by deputy editor Tiffany Dunk, Love Stories is a celebration of L-O-V-E in all its glorious forms. So try out this episode and swing on over to find The Australian Women's Weekly Love Stories and hit follow, + or subscribe wherever you like to watch or listen! Here we are on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, and of course in video on YouTube.  Enjoy!

Miranda Tapsell has become one of Australia's most celebrated actors and storytellers, but behind every chapter of her remarkable career is the woman who taught her what love, family, and community truly mean: her mum, Barbara. 

In this two-part episode of The Australian Women's Weekly Love Stories, proud Larrakia and Tiwi woman Miranda joins host Tiffany Dunk alongside Barbara for a heartfelt conversation about the unbreakable bond between mother and daughter, the lessons that have shaped their family across generations, and the love that has carried them through life's biggest changes. 

Together they reflect on Barbara's childhood as the eldest of eight children, meeting and falling in love with Miranda's father, Tony, raising a family in Kakadu in the Northern Territory, and Barbara's years supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Miranda shares how her mum's unwavering belief in her gave her the confidence to pursue acting, the extraordinary sacrifice Barbara made to help her through drama school, and the values she's now passing on to her own children. 

They also open up about the realities of navigating the world as Aboriginal women, the work ethic and resilience passed down through generations, and why Barbara always taught Miranda that family doesn't stop at your front door. 

Part 2 is available now, where Miranda and Barbara share the story of meeting James, the family "tests" every new member must pass, the joy of raising the next generation together, and why love, laughter, and culture remain at the heart of their family. 

Moments you'll hear:

• Why Barbara has become a "mythical" figure in Miranda's life stories 
• Barara growing up as the eldest of eight children and learning responsibility early 
• The workplace romance that led to Barbara and Tony's 50-year marriage 
• Why Barbara waited until her 30s to become a mum 
• The family philosophy that "family doesn't stop at your front door" 
• Life growing up in Kakadu National Park and the village that raised Miranda 
• Barbara's extraordinary career supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and Miranda reflects on having her mum at school every day 
• The special role Miranda's grandparents played in her childhood 
• Miranda's very first performances and the early signs she was destined for the stage 
• The difficult transition from the Northern Territory to Sydney and studying at drama school, and the incredible sacrifice Barbara made to help Miranda finish NIDA 
• The life lessons Barbara taught Miranda about resilience, presentation, and work ethic as an Aboriginal woman 
• The family history behind those lessons and the policies that shaped generations 
• Miranda sees the next generation's performer beginning to emerge in her own daughter 

Thank you for listening ❤️ 

Before you leave... 

🗣️ Get in touch 

What did you think? We are a brand-new podcast and would love to hear from you as we build this together. Join our friendly Love Stories community and visit us at www.womensweekly.com.au/love-stories-podcast/ 

Email us your love stories (and any feedback) at [email protected] 

If you share your love story on social media please tag us, we're @womensweeklymag, and use the hashtag #AWWLoveStories 

Subscribe to The Australian Women's Weekly at womensweekly.com.au 👈🏽 

Our special thanks to our partners at Vixin 

Vixin real results, simple skincare that's a little bit fancy: vixin.com.au 

Use the code LOVESTORIES for 30% off your order at Vixin now! 

Sending thanks to our partners at Wounded Heroes. 

You can help Wounded Heroes deliver emergency assistance to current Australian Defence Force members, veterans and their families by donating at: www.woundedheroes.org.au/actsofservice 

Credits: 

Host: Tiffany Dunk 

Edited by Phoebe Zukowski-Wallace 

Production by Leah Porges and Helen Smith 

Our wonderful The Australian Women's Weekly team 

Our Head of Vodcasting is Rachel Fountain 

Learn More: The Australian Women's Weekly website 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time to bless your feed with a new episode of our heartfelt new podcast, Love Stories, from The Australian Women's Weekly. Love Stories is about celebrating and appreciating love in all its forms. Think the stories behind how your favourite couples first met, siblings who have seen each other through thick and thin, parents and children and the deep bonds we have with our pets, and those who've loved, lost and learned to love themselves again. Find, follow and subscribe (or hit the +) to The Australian Women's Weekly Love Stories wherever you like to listen to or watch your podcasts: on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and more.  There's a gorgeous back catalogue for you to binge on and catch all the feels! Olympic sisters Cate and Bronte Campbell, Georgie Tunny and Rob Mills spill on babies and marriage, Matty and Esther Acton on being 40 year old grandparents, Katie Noonan on the grief of divorce, David and Lisa Campbell on their long marriage, Jess Row and Peter Overon, Julie and Mick Goodwin and so many more!

First, let us introduce you to Martin and Kim Shaw, who are part of our special Love Stories: Acts of Service series <3

 

Content warning: This episode discusses veteran suicide, family and domestic violence, PTSD, and severe financial hardship. If it raises anything for you, support is available: Wounded Heroes Australia crisis line 1300 532 112 (24/7, for ADF members, veterans and their families) | Open Arms — Veterans & Families Counselling 1800 011 046 (24/7) | Lifeline 13 11 14 (24/7) | 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732 (24/7). 

When a veteran or their family rings Wounded Heroes Australia at 2am, the voice on the other end is Martin Shaw. As the charity's president since 2011, he knows how impactful the voice on the phone can be. The words he says every time are the same ones that helped his wife fall for him: "Don't worry, I’ve got you.” 

Kim Shaw heard him say those words before she ever loved him. She was focusing on work and not looking for love. When he first asked her on a date, she initially turned him down. When he tried again, she said yes and they were married within 12 months – but Wounded Heroes remained a major focus. Martin even took a crisis call on their honeymoon, but Kim never flinched. 

Theirs is a quieter kind of love story: two people who have built a marriage around holding other families together. And it’s the perfect place to begin our Acts of Service series, a new monthly limited series from The Australian Women’s Weekly Love Stories in partnership with Wounded Heroes Australia.  

In this episode, Tiffany Dunk sits down with Martin and Kim to talk about the marriage behind Australia’s only national, 24/7, non-government funded veteran crisis service. 

They explain what a $6.10 prescription, a $100 fuel voucher or a pizza delivered on Anzac Eve actually buys. Not a solution. A night. One in twenty Australian households has someone who has served. In 2023, suicide was the leading cause of death among ex-serving ADF members. Martin and Kim are two of the people who pick up when those numbers turn into a phone call. 

And Martin makes the case that sits at the heart of this whole series: everyone who signs up to defend this country does it out of love. Their whole life, as he puts it, is actually built around love. 

Moments you’ll hear: 

• The words Martin says to every veteran who rings in crisis, and why Kim calls them the most comforting thing she has ever heard. 
• “You’re a flirt, I’m not interested”: the knockback, the chase down the office stairs, and the wedding twelve months later  
• The $1,000 a soldier’s wife handed back, and the ten-year-old boy whose PTSD diagnosis changed the course of Martin’s life.   
• The night a veteran rang from a pizza shop with no wallet, no phone and no car, and what $6.10 fixed the next morning. 
• Anzac Eve in a house with no electricity, where a soldier had pawned his medals and his children had agreed to sell their PlayStation. 
• Why Martin has lent his own charity close to half a million dollars, including his own  superannuation.  
• The two times of year Wounded Heroes braces for: Christmas with New Year, and Easter with Anzac Day. 
• Martin on what love actually means here: “You don’t have to wear a uniform to be a warrior”. 

Thank you for listening ❤️ 

Before you leave... 

🗣️ Get in touch 

What did you think? We are a brand-new podcast and would love to hear from you as we build this together. Join our friendly Love Stories community and visit us at womensweekly.com.au/love-stories-podcast 

Email us your love stories (and any feedback) at [email protected] 

If you share your love story on social media please tag us, we’re @womensweeklymag, and use the hashtag #AWWLoveStories 

Subscribe to The Australian Women’s Weekly at magshop.com.au/LOVESTORIES 👈🏽 

Sending thanks to our partners at Wounded Heroes. 

You can help Wounded Heroes deliver emergency assistance to current Australian Defence Force members, veterans and their families by donating at: www.woundedheroes.org.au/actsofservice 

Need help now? Wounded Heroes crisis line 1300 532 112, 24/7, Australia wide. 

Credits 

Host: Tiffany Dunk 

Edited by Leah Porges

Production by Leah Porges 

Our wonderful The Australian Women’s Weekly team 

Our Head of Vodcasting is Rachel Fountain 

Learn More: The Australian Women’s Weekly website 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CW: domestic and family violence

 

In this episode of Love In Reality, we chat to White Ribbon’s Executive Director, Brad Chilcott, about emotionally abusive and coercive relationships – how to identify the warning signs and what do if you’re in one or know someone who is.

 

If this episode has raised any issues for you, please reach out:

White Ribbon: www.whiteribbon.org.au

1800 RESPECT: 1800respect.org.au

Men's Referral Service: ntv.org.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.