Story Hotline

20 years ago she won the Olympic race that cemented her forever as one of Australia's national heroes... She's Cathy Freeman! *the crowd goes wild*

In this episode we're travelling back in time to the turn of the millennium to explore how Cathy became the icon she is today. Our story contains blood, sweat and tears, and a little bit of flimsy math to prove that no despite what we thought as children we are not actually as fast as an Olympic athlete. 

Your heart is going to be warmed as you learn how a young child with a heart of (green and) gold was set on the path of success with encouragement from family and coaches. Cathy Freeman is the first Indigenous Australian to win a gold Olympic track medal and is forever our icon. We love you Cathy and spoiler alert: yes, everyone would still have loved you even if you lost!!!!!

Further watching/reading:

• Interview with Cathy Freeman and Mrs Baldry (the teacher who encouraged Cathy to run her FIRST race) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIGb6rP6CT4
• 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games — Cathy wins GOLD in the 200m sprint https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEE7kW7AxmQ
• 1996 Atlanta Olympics — Cathy Freeman wins SILVER in the 400m Sprint Final against Marie-José Pérec https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSJegnvPv7M&t=308s
• 2000 Sydney Olympics — Cathy Freeman win's GOLD in the 400m Sprint Final https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTCnO5MXvoI
• FREEMAN Documentary (Australia link) https://iview.abc.net.au/show/freeman
• Born to Run by Cathy Freeman (2003) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15790011-born-to-run

Oh baby baby... how did one of the biggest pop stars of all time end up under the control of her father? And what does a conservatorship really mean for Britney Spears? In this Episode of Story Hotline, Tina and Ella discuss how #FreeBritney isn’t a conspiracy theory. It’s a disability rights issue and we need to pay attention to what’s happening so Britney can come out stronger than yesterday.

See vintage footage of Brit on our Instagram (and let us know your fave track of hers while you’re there)
https://instagram.com/storyhotlinepodcast

Further watching :
Why #FreeBritney is a Disability Rights Issue on YouTube by Jessica Kellgren-Fozard

She fought discrimination for over 60 years, almost 30 of those as a Supreme Court Justice. She was the Notorious RBG.

In this episode, recorded a week before Ruth Bader Ginsburg's sad passing, Tina and Ella discuss what a force RBG was in the fight for equality. We cover formative advice from her mother, how she navigated a 99% male law school, how she changed the jury system forever, and much much more.

We'll be sharing photos on Instagram of RBG throughout the ages as well as the meaning behind many of the collars she wore as a Supreme Court justice, which you can check out here www.instagram.com/storyhotlinepodcast

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a real-life superhero and her legacy in the fight for equality lives on. Our thoughts are with her family during this time. RIP RBG.

This episode was edited by Samuel J Mitchell, what a star!

For 28 years the Berlin Wall separated East and West Germany. As suddenly as the wall went up overnight in 1961, the iron symbol of the Cold War came crumbling down in one evening almost three decades later.

But wait. WHY did it go up? And HOW did it come down? In this episode of Story Hotline, Ella and Tina discuss the events that led to the wall dividing families and friends on either side. And how a bureaucratic error brought this Soviet monument down.

Know any other interesting stories about the Berlin Wall? Send us a message on Instagram to let us know! That's also where you'll find the footage we mentioned in this episode. www.instagram.com/storyhotlinepodcast

Is she really a witch that broke up The Beatles, or is it actually a little more complicated than that? In this episode of Story Hotline, Tina takes Ella down Penny (and memory) Lane to discover what really went on between Yoko Ono and the Beatles, and who Yoko was before she became ‘Mrs. Lennon’ (you’ll be shocked!). Plus, we also talk about what we’re dubbing John and Paul’s ‘platonic romance’. It’s turbulent and complex, but in the end love is all you need.

We’ve shared even more nostalgia over on our Instagram, including photos and handwritten lyrics. Check it out www.instagram.com/storyhotlinepodcast/ and DM us your favourite Beatles’ song.  

P.S. Anything we miss in tonight’s episode, we’ll try to include in our end of season wrap up! Including the legal case between Paul and the band.

Did you know that the chances of a pirate dying of natural causes is 1 in 96,294? Okay, that statistic is made up, but this story of Ching Shih the Fierce Pirate is 100% true! In this episode of Story Hotline, Ella tells Tina all about one of the most prolific pirates of all time. Ching Shih lived in the 19th century and commanded a fleet of around 300 ships. But, perhaps most impressively, she died of natural causes rather than by rootin’, bootin’ and lootin’ like her colleagues.

Listen on to hear how a Cantonese woman of humble beginnings became the biggest threat to Chinese maritime activity. Plus, follow us on Instagram to see photos of Ching Shih and stay up to date with the podcast www.instagram.com/storyhotlinepodcast/.

Trigger warning: this episode discusses violence so may not be suitable for young listeners. We specifically mention sexual assault from 15m38s to 18m00s, so if this makes you feel uncomfortable please skip ahead. 

Plus, anything we miss in this episode about piracy laws or new information on Ching Shih, we’ll discuss in our End of Season Wrap Up!

This episode was produced by Tina Victoria Afshar and Ella Mumby, full editing and audio work by Samuel J Mitchell (thank you Sammy!!!!).

Determined to prove that numbers aren’t unlucky, NASA launch their 13th space mission to the moon at 13:13. But instead of proving a point, it all goes terribly wrong. In this episode of Story Hotline, Tina takes Ella through one of history’s most successful failures – Apollo 13.

Listen on to find out about the six terrifying and uncertain days that Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise spent in space. And how the determined heroes in mission control literally fit a square peg in a round hole to try and get them home.

Follow us on Instagram to see some of the real-life footage Tina mentioned www.instagram.com/storyhotlinepodcast/ Plus, DM us anything we missed and we’ll include it in a future wrap-up episode.

If you enjoyed this episode please be sure to rate and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode was produced by Tina Victoria Afshar and Ella Mumby, full editing and audio work by Samuel J Mitchell (thank you Sammy!!!!).

Before Tik Tok and Instagram Reels there was Vine, a multi-million-dollar app which was taking over the world… until it wasn’t. In this episode of Story Hotline, Ella tells Tina how the video-sharing platform went from leading the industry to losing its creators and viewers. How did it go so terribly wrong and what can other social media apps learn from its ending? Listen on to find out!

In the name of research Ella watched hours of vines and compiled her favourites which you can see here www.instagram.com/storyhotlinepodcast/

Plus, message us on Instagram to let us know your favourite vines! It’s also where we post show updates and new episode announcements www.instagram.com/storyhotlinepodcast/

If you enjoyed this episode please be sure to rate and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to listen in on a phone call and hear an interesting story? This is the podcast for you! Welcome to Story Hotline, a weekly phone call between two friends on opposite sides of the world. Listen to our trailer to find out who we are and what our theme for the season is going to be. Plus, don’t forget to follow us on instagram to join the conversation and see any photos or videos we’ve mentioned. www.instagram.com/storyhotlinepodcast/