So...Podcast John Mckenna

Max Heerey didn’t know what he was getting into when he invited a fellow Hobart (Aust) runner out for a jog late in 2020.

As it turned out, he had just organised a date with Grace Tame, who was named Australian of the Year 2021 just a couple of months later.

In this So...podcast episode, Max talks publicly for the first time about his relationship with Grace, an advocate for survivors of sexual assault, particularly those who were abused in institutional settings.

From the age of 15, Grace was groomed and raped by her maths teacher, who was later jailed for his crimes.

Grace also fought and won for the reform of laws in Tasmania – Australia’s island state - that gagged survivors from speaking publicly and identifying themselves.

Max has been by her side the whole time, despite their relationship being so new when she received the award.

He reveals how he copes with hearing Grace discuss the abuse she suffered, his pride when she won the award, and how he prefers to keep a low profile.

This couple bounce off each other in this relaxed – and often funny - conversation that even includes a discussion about Grace’s tasty banana bread.

This episode contains references to grooming, sexual abuse, and mental health issues. If you feel that you need any support, please use one of the below resources.

1800respect.org.au

beyondblue.org.au

Melbourne based public, performance and contemporary artist, Brett Ashby talks to John McKenna on ‘So…’ podcast about flowing, ‘rolling’, and growth through art, creation, and connection.

In his 15-year journey as both a local and international artist, Ashby opens up about how his artistic practice and connections helped him to discover his own story and healing.

Using his childhood love of surfing and skating in a flow-state artistic process he calls ‘rolling’, Ashby explores how art can be created through interpreting energy and vibrations.

Maybe that sounds a bit different – but that’s his story, and Ashby’s art has become an energetic therapy and avenue to connect with others.

In a conversation with John that rolls and flows like Ashby’s art, they discuss his unique skateboard-riding-portrait-painting-process, and how connecting with young people through public art helped him to learn and rediscover his own journey, as well as produce public artworks that made a positive contribution to community.

Stay connected with Brett on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/brettashbyartist

http://brettashby.com/

Why are all television newsreaders blonde?

This is something Antoinette asked herself when she was at the gym almost 4 years ago and confronted with a sea of blonde newsreaders across every news show that was being broadcast. She looked from the TV to the people in the gym and saw people of all cultural backgrounds. She saw that the media was failing to represent Australia’s diverse community.

In that moment, Antoinette conceived the idea of Media Diversity Australia, a not-for-profit that advocates for more meaningful diversity within Australian media.

Antoinette Lattouf is a Senior Journalist at Network 10, the Co-Founder/Director of Media Diversity Australia and is in the process of adding author to the list. She has built a successful career in Australian media, and as a woman of colour, has experienced firsthand the need for more cultural diversity within the industry.

‘We pat ourselves on the back for being a multicultural country, but we’re only multicultural to a certain point. There are certain institutions where that diversity isn’t allowed to prosper.’ Antoinette Lattouf

She believes that the Australian media needs to do more work to reflect its audience and is a vocal advocate for increased diverse cultural representation.

An exciting element of her advocacy is the upcoming release of her book How to Lose Friends and Influence White People. Antoinette’s ‘cheeky’ take on a book that has been read by generations of people is set to upheave some cultural tension, raise more than a few eyebrows, and make lots of people uncomfortable.

And why? Because it’s important to provide a guide on how to navigate this complicated conversation, to challenge the status quo, and to provide the voice the Australian media has neglected.

Is Antoinette scared of the potential backlash? Nope. She’s charging forward, brave and ready. She says, ‘If I don’t push myself out of my comfort zone, how can I ask others to do the same?’.

International students in the Australian news and media often carry the negative connotations of being "foreign", "problems" that are "exploited".

Belle Lim is here to challenge that stereotype.

Coming from Malaysia at the age of 17, Belle completed a Bachelor's degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences with honours as the Gold Medallist, received the prestigious Victorian Premier Award for International Students of the Year in 2019, and is currently pursuing a PhD degree in cancer genetics. Driven by her personal experience, Belle is also a passionate advocate for international students and women of colour. She is the founder of Future Female conference in Victoria and the national president of Council of International Students Australia.

Belle joined the So…Podcast to explore her journey so far. From a shy, reserved girl whose culture praised her for being obedient, to a young woman confident in her quest to empower other women from culturally diverse backgrounds. Belle shared the inner thoughts, confusion and breakthroughs that she had throughout this journey of discovering her real abilities, whilst also unpacking the cultural transition that international students are confronted with and how the burden of assimilating is placed solely on international students.

Belle strongly believes in the power of representation and role modelling to expand what young people from diverse cultural backgrounds expect from themselves. On tips to ambitious women, she emphasized on the power of knowing your values and having the right attitude - adversities and challenges will come, but it is how you approach them that will ultimately define your journey.