With nine Olympic medals and 14 individual world records to her name, Leisel Jones is one of Australia’s all-time greats. 

But her time as a professional athlete wasn’t all podiums and accolades - it was also full of intense media scrutiny, body shaming, self-doubt, a public lashing from swim legend Dawn Fraser and a pressure to perform that was so intense she now says it left her feeling “almost brainwashed”. 

Twelve years after hanging up her swimsuit for the last time, Leisel admits she isn’t sure whether she’s fully processed that period of her life – or has quite figured out her post-swim identity. 

But she has since embarked on a career in radio, a platform that has given her an opportunity to talk freely about everyday life, including revealing on air late last year that she and her husband have separated. As Leisel tells host Sarrah Le Marquand about going public with her divorce: “Imagine if someone saw that I was on Bumble and they were like, ‘Hang on, aren’t you married?’”

Listen to The Rush Hour with Leisel Jones, Liam & Dobbo weekdays from 4-6pm on Triple M Brisbane.

Find more from Stellar via Instagram @stellarmag or pick up a copy inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA)

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Almost 20 years ago, writer and media personality Zoe Marshall went through such a deeply traumatic series of experiences – the death of her mother, a family rift and a physically and psychologically abusive relationship – that she considered ending her own life. 

But then, she leaned into manifestation, or as she calls it, co-creation - and her life took a turn that was almost impossible to believe. In 2024, Zoe has several successful businesses under her belt. She’s happily married to former NRL player and now coach Benji Marshall, the mother of two beautiful children, and she’s on the brink of a new chapter. 

On this episode of Something To Talk About, Zoe is very candid about what she calls her “rock bottom”, addressed the intense speculation that has surrounded her husband’s strict boundaries between his work and his role as a father and husband and she spoke to Australia’s ongoing domestic violence crisis, as a victim survivor herself.

If you have experienced or are at risk of family violence, you can call the national counselling service 1800RESPECT.

You can find out more about Zoe and her manifestation journey, by joining the community at www.ariise.com.au. 

Find more from Stellar via Instagram @stellarmag or pick up a copy inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA)

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Former radio host Bianca Dye is no stranger to tackling taboos and staring down stigma - after all, she’s been doing it since back when feminism was a dirty word, particularly in the then-male-dominated world of radio. 

But her new era - a chapter of her life she describes as Fifty, Sacked and Single - is seeing her having to stare down even more stereotypes as she navigates mental health, unemployment and the dating pool as a woman in her 50s. 

There was never a dull moment when Bianca joined host Sarrah Le Marquand in the Something To Talk About studio for a frank and funny conversation about her forays into the online search for romance, why “ghosting is for cowards”, the joy she finds in seeing a new generation of young women be unapologetically outspoken - and what happened when she recently sent a seven-minute voice message to a man ahead of their first date. 

Find out more about Bianca being ‘Fifty, Sacked and Single' on her Instagram accounts @biancadye and @anxietyfree

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Amber Petty was first catapulted into the spotlight in the most unusual of circumstances, by standing alongside her best friend, Mary Donaldson, at her wedding to the Crown Prince of Denmark in 2004. 

Becoming known as the “royal bridesmaid”, Amber Petty has experienced many highs and lows during her career in the radio and media in the 20 years since.

Today, she is using her public platform to speak up about something very difficult - but also very important. And that is a reminder of how the much needed and long overdue national conversation currently taking place in Australia regarding violence against women can inadvertently cause re-traumatization among victim-survivors.

As a victim-survivor of domestic violence within two past relationships, Amber sits down with host Sarrah Le Marquand to not only share her own harrowing story, but to speak up for the many women around the country who may be secretly struggling with trauma of their own. 

Although her public persona may have first come about because of a royal wedding, Amber tells Something To Talk About that she does not believe in fairytales.

If you have experienced or are at risk of family violence, you can call the national counselling service 1800RESPECT.

You can find out more from Amber Petty, including purchase details for her book, via her Instagram handle @missamberpetty.

You can read Amber’s column in Stellar online at Stellarmag.com.au or pick up a copy inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA).

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It’s been five years since Kate Langbroek and her husband and four children packed up to move to Italy – a decision that to this day has people stopping her in the street to discuss. 

Now firmly entrenched back into the reality of life back in Australia, we decided it was time to sit down with the always entertaining - and always unpredictable - Kate to shamelessly pick her brains for an update on the whole work/life/family ratio in mid 2024. 

Apart from her thoughts on ‘shadow labour’, and the often thankless work performed by many across the country, day in and day out, host Sarrah Le Marquand asks Kate about the “glamour gap” that exists between male and female television presenters when it comes to the VERY large difference in time spent in hair and make-up. 

So, given Kate describes herself as “a lazy dresser” - as she says, even her boots have to have zips as she can’t be bothered doing up laces - would the “glamour gap” be a dealbreaker if she were to be offered the TV job of her dreams?

Kate also chats about her apparent witching powers, and opens up experiencing anxiety for the first time in her life, and how her husband’s response unexpectedly inspired her latest project.

You can hear Kate Langbroek on a new episode of the The Buck Up every Tuesday on the iheartradio app, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Find more from Stellar via Instagram @stellarmag or pick up a copy inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA)

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Today’s episode of Something To Talk About is released on the eve of Mother’s Day – an occasion that for some, is a day of celebration, yet for others is a reminder of grief and isolation. 

Media personality, author and youth worker Brooke Blurton is one who approaches Mother’s Day with conflicted emotions, having lost her mother when she was just 11. 

Joining host Sarrah Le Marquand for this special episode, Brooke reflects on grief; celebrating the legacies of her mother and her grandmother; taking on the role of matriarch within her family - and how seeing her mum’s life cut short at only 34 has instilled a sense of urgency in her to experience and achieve as much as she can.

She also reveals the family tradition that will see Brooke honour her mother’s memory in a very beautiful way if she has a daughter of her own one day…

Brooke Blurton co-hosts First Things First alongside Matty Mills, which you can listen to here. You can also find more from her via @brooke.blurton on Instagram. 

You can listen to Brooke’s previous episode of Something To Talk About here. 

If you or someone you know needs support, visit beyondblue.org.au

For mother loss support, visit motherlessdaughters.com.au

To see Stellar’s special Mother’s Day cover story featuring Brooke Blurton, Sarah Davidson, Fifi Box and Ellie Gonsalves head to @stellarmag or pick up a copy inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA)

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Em Rusciano has never been one to hold back, but despite having built a career on being refreshingly honest, her decision to go public at a National Press Club address about being diagnosed with ADHD at age 42, and autism a year later, took her into completely unchartered territory. 

Now, three years on from her diagnoses, Em is embarking on her most personal project yet, a new podcast series she describes as a “love letter to the neurodivergent community and a roadmap for neurotypical people.” 

As you’d expect from a conversation with Em Rusciano, today’s episode covers a lot of ground - and veers from the emotional to the insightful to the hilarious - as Em speaks to host Sarrah Le Marquand to take us inside the past few years of her life, a volatile time she describes as “scorched earth”.

She gives a very-real-and-very-sweet glimpse inside her family life as the mother of three neurodivergent children, reveals whether we will ever see her run for politics, and explains how menopause will be making its presence felt when she takes to the stage for a national comedy tour later this year. 

She also has the perfect answer for those who question if the increasing diagnosis in ADHD among adult women is simply just a “fad”. And she opens up about how being publicly accused of faking her autism diagnosis last year was her worst fear and sent her to ground - only to see her come back with a stronger sense of purpose than ever before. 

You can watch Em Rusciano’s National Press Club address here.

Anomalous was produced by MIK in conjunction with Down the Hill studios and will be available from May 6, wherever you get your podcasts. You can get more from Em on her Instagram, where you'll find more information on her upcoming tour.

Find more from Stellar via Instagram @stellarmag or pick up a copy inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA)

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For 23 years, Kyle Sandilands and Jackie “O” Henderson have dominated radio airwaves in Sydney, and having appeared on various TV shows over the years, have become one of Australia’s most well-known double acts.

But despite their infamy, they very rarely do interviews together - and yet for today’s episode of Something To Talk About they agreed to sit down on the other side of the microphone to join host Sarrah Le Marquand for a no-holds-barred conversation that veers from the outrageous to the hilarious, and from the emotional to the unexpected. 

On the eve of their show’s much talked about and risky expansion into Melbourne, they open up about what makes their relationship tick - both on and off air, whether they have any regrets over the controversies they have weathered over the years, and how they feel about being in very different chapters of their lives, with Kyle settled down as a happily married father just as a Jackie is hitting her stride as one of the most sought after single women in the country. 

And, in one of the many surprising moments in the conversation, they both ponder an unlikely question: is Kyle Sandilands actually a feminist?

The Kyle & Jackie O Show airs from 6am weekdays on KIIS 1065 Sydney and KIIS 101.1 Melbourne. You can also listen via the iHeart app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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She gets up at 3 a.m. for work, is raising two children under age five and is building a side hustle as a property developer and renovator. 

So it is little wonder that Sunrise news presenter Edwina Bartholomew can’t be bothered by those who question her life choices - whether that’s arriving at the studio in dirty clothes or living in separate houses from her husband during the work week. 

In a chat that is both frank and funny, Edwina gets real about her unapologetic approach to both motherhood and marriage. She also opens up about the friendships she has forged with women working at rival TV networks, and explains why - having turned 40 in the last year - she is putting a new priority on her health. 

Edwina Bartholomew is an ambassador for the 2024 Witchery White Shirt Campaign. To support the cause, buy a White Shirt from Witchery between now and World Ovarian Cancer Day on 8 May online via witchery.com.au 

Find more from Stellar via Instagram @stellarmag or pick up a copy inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA)

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Caterina Mete - better known to children and parents around Australia and the globe as the Red Wiggle - recently made history when she announced she is expecting identical twin girls.

Now Caterina, who is the first-ever pregnant Wiggle, joins us to talk for the first time about the emotional path she took to get here. Having conceived her babies through IVF, she explains her decision to embark on a fertility journey on her own, discusses the setbacks she encountered along the way - which included a miscarriage - and the joy she felt when she learnt she was pregnant. She also reveals the often surprising reaction to her baby news from friends and family, and the impact of being a member of The Wiggles who is embarking on motherhood according to her own very modern rule book.

A warning that today’s episode touches on subject matter that could be triggering for some listeners. For support or information about pregnancy loss, visit miscarriageaustralia.com.au 

You can catch Caterina at The Wiggles live shows or on the new Wiggle & Learn YouTube series. Find out more at thewiggles.com or on Instagram at @caterina.wiggle

Find more from Stellar via Instagram @stellarmag or pick up a copy inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA)

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