The Good Girl Confessional

180 years ago, Australia’s first children’s book was published by an anonymous writer known only as “a lady long resident in NSW.” The identity of the author was one of Australia’s most puzzling literary mysteries until 1981 when was finally given a name – Charlotte Waring Atkinson.

I’m so happy to be chatting with Kate Forsyth and Belinda Murrell, sisters who are both celebrated authors in their own right. Kate and Belinda grew up on stories about Charlotte’s life as she was their great-great-great-great grandmother.

In Searching for Charlotte, Kate and Belinda started a journey of discovery that investigates family history, writing and motherhood. More importantly they have shone a light on Charlotte Waring Atkinson, her achievements and her importance in the world of Australian and women’s literature.

Kate Forsyth is an award winning author of adult, young adult and children's literature. Named one of Australia’s Favourite 15 Novelists, Kate has a Doctorate of Creative Arts in fairy tale studies, and is also an accredited master storyteller with the Australian Guild of Storytellers.

https://www.kateforsyth.com.au

Belinda Murrell, a travel journalist, technical writer and public relations consultant is a bestselling, internationally published children’s author with a history of writing in her family that spans over 200 years.

https://www.belindamurrell.com.au
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The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is part of WB40 - Women Beyond Forty

Follow the revolution:
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https://www.instagram.com/womenbeyondforty
https://www.instagram.com/thegoodgirlconfessional


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Today in the confessional I am so thrilled to chat with Tara Moss, the award winning author and advocate for women, children and people with disability. Tara has written 13 books, published in 19 countries in 13 languages, including her critically acclaimed non-fiction book The Fictional Woman and her latest work, the internationally best-selling historical crime novel, The War Widow. Her books centre on strong female characters.

Tara is an experienced documentary host and interviewer with a passion for research and human stories, and over the years she has continued to shine a light of important issues, such as the murder of Reza Berati on Manus Island, and the rise of cyber hate.

In 2015 Tara received the Edna Ryan Award for her significant contribution to the feminist debate.
Since 2013, she has been a national ambassador for child survival. Today she joins me from British Columbia in Canada, so we can chat about feminism, CRPS Awareness and her brilliant new book, the War Widow – the story of Billie Walker, a gutsy, champagne drinking Private Investigator in post WW2 Sydney.

To learn more about Tara:
https://www.taramoss.com
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/taramossauthor
https://www.instagram.com/taraandwolfie

The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is part of WB40 - Women Beyond Forty

Follow the revolution:
www.wb40.com
https://www.instagram.com/womenbeyondforty
https://www.instagram.com/thegoodgirlconfessional


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Chloe Higgins writes about the things she’s afraid of: death, sex, love, and how she feels about her mother. The Girls, a memoir of family, grief and sexuality, is her debut and won the People’s Choice Award at the 2020 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. The Girls was also shortlisted for the 2020 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award Prize for Non-Fiction and shortlisted for the State Library’s 2020 National Biography Award. She is the Director of Wollongong Writers Festival and works as a writing mentor helping students develop a daily writing practice. She chronicles her writing process via IGTV on Instagram @chloemareehiggins

- The Girls is available from all good book stores and Audible.

Follow the Wollongong Writers Festival https://wollongongwritersfestival.com/

- The Good Girl Confessional is part of WB40 - Women Beyond Forty
Follow the revolution:
www.wb40.com
@womenbeyondforty
@thegoodgirlconfessional.com


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Kayte Murphy and Kim Berry are the hosts of the fabulously popular podcast, The Hot Flush - The Premier Podcast for Peri-Menopausal People! Kayte has a background in publishing and professional blogging (she is Mrs Woog from popular blog Woogsworld) and is also an author. Kim is a journalist with a passion for baking as seen in her popular blog All Consuming.

4 years ago they joined forces to host a podcast dedicated to talking openly and honestly about all things peri-menopause and issues that affect women over the age of forty, including parenting, relationships and mental health issues. Listening to this duo, who have a brilliant friendship is joyful! It's an absolute delight to have them here in the Confessional, generously sharing their story of The Hot Flush. My cheeks are still hurting from all the laughing!

You can follow The Hot Flush Podcast here:
https://www.thehotflush.com/

Follow Woogsworld here:
https://www.woogsworld.com/

Follow Kim Berry here:
http://www.allconsuming.com.au/about/

The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is a production of Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty

Craving more? You can find us at www.wb40.com
Instagram: @womenbeyondforty
Instagram @thegoodgirlconfessional


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Imagine falling in love with a man, imaging your life together and then finding out that everything he claimed to be was a lie. This is Stephanie Wood's story, chronicled in her book 'Fake'. A startling true story about love in a world of liars, cheats, narcissists, fantasists and phonies. Stephanie's raw honesty in the telling of this story is nothing short of brave. "Joe" who she met online, is a serial fabulist who created a web of lies filled with many twists and turns. Stephanie Wood is an author and award winning Australian journalist. When she ended the relationship, her journalistic instincts took over as she searched for the truth. Fake is a riveting book and a cautionary tale, and will resonate with anyone who dared to find love. Stephanie chats with Sandy in the confessional about surviving a fraudster, seeking the truth and ultimately finding herself.

Follow us on instagram: @thegoodgirlconfessional

The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is a production of Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty

Craving more? You can find us at www.wb40.com
Instagram: @womenbeyondforty


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

TW: Missing Person/Suicide

Sally Leydon, has been searching for her mother, Marion Barter, for 23 years. Marion is a missing person, much loved mother and a celebrated teacher. Marion's disappearance is the subject of the hugely popular Channel 7 Podcast, The Lady Vanishes, now with over 8 million downloads. Host Bryan Seymour and Executive Producer Alison Sandy have helped Sally to gain incredible traction regarding information and clues about Marion's sudden disappearance. Along with a group of volunteer super sleuths around the world, they edge closer to unravelling this unsolved case.

Sally joins me in the confessional to chat about her mum, her unwavering quest to find answers and how this experience, and the later loss of her brother, Owen, has impacted her life. This case has so many twists, turns and leads - from international travel to cults, name changes and mysterious untouched bank accounts.

Marion, also known as Florabella Natalia Marion Remakel, is on the Australian National Missing Persons register. This is an ongoing investigation. If you have any knowledge of Marion's whereabouts, or have any information about her disappearance or beyond, please contact www.crimestoppers.com.au

For more information on this case, and to follow Sally's journey, you can listen to The Lady Vanishes Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/the-lady-vanishes/id1457296528

You can also Follow on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/7NEWSTheLadyVanishes/

https://www.facebook.com/MissingMarionBarter/

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The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is part of WB40 - Women Beyond Forty

Follow the revolution:
www.wb40.com
https://www.instagram.com/womenbeyondforty
https://www.instagram.com/thegoodgirlconfessional


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Nikki Hind is a social entrepreneur and Australia's first legally blind fashion designer, with a background in PR, Communications and Event Management. Nikki is a champion for others in the disability sector and gentle disrupter. Overcoming trauma and PTSD, Nikki credits her survival to her two beautiful sons and her love of fashion design. The catalyst for design was a determined desire to find a new way of expressing the best of herself through her work, after being left permanently legally blind by a stroke, at the same time as becoming a mother for the first time. Nikki is the founder of Blind Grit, creating athleisure wear, and based on a business model that is built entirely of & around those who live with disability & survive trauma. All the aspirational, fun, dream jobs that sit behind the creation of a fashion label. Nikki's first collection was on the catwalk at the ground breaking Access to Fashion event for Melbourne Fashion Week 2018, and Nikki was invited back to the opening of Melbourne Fashion Week 2019. Blind Grit is currently working on an exciting new line. Nikki is a firm believer that having a dream can help people move past trauma, and give a renewed purpose for life. We loved having Nikki in the Confessional to share her incredible story.

You can follow Nikki and the Blind Grit team, and check out all media at:
https://Blindgrit.com

Please follow Blind Grit on instagram - @blindgrit
And on Facebook - Blind Grit

Follow us on instagram: @thegoodgirlconfessional

The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is a production of Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty

Craving more? You can find us at www.wb40.com
Instagram: @womenbeyondforty


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Dr Catherine Barrett is a doctor, educator and researcher who started #TheKindnessPandemic only 3 weeks into Australia's Covid shutdown and it has become a global movement with over 800,000 followers and growing daily.
💓This podcast runs for 49.22 mins.
(Trigger Warning: This Podcast does contain references to sexual and physical assault from 21:00 - 32.00)

❤️Dr Barrett is a Melbourne based doctor, researcher and educator who started this project which already has over 800,000 followers. As COVID-19 hit, she decided that this is a time for us to unite and to spread kindness. Kindness won't make the virus go away, but it will make our lives easier and richer. #TheKindnessPandemic focuses on spreading kindness across the world and are particularly interested in #IntersectionalKindness. The message is, we can all do acts of kindness in the world.

❤️Dr Barrett is also the Director of an anti-ageism organisation called Celebrate Ageing which aims to support older women in the community, and is an advocate protecting older women against sexual assault.

To Follow The Kindness Pandemic:👇
https://www.thekindnesspandemic.org/

Facebook Group : https://www.facebook.com/groups/51550...

To follow Celebrate Ageing:👇
https://www.celebrateageing.com/

🎧The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is part of WB40 - Women Beyond Forty Magazine

Follow the revolution:
www.wb40.com
https://www.instagram.com/womenbeyondforty
https://www.instagram.com/thegoodgirlconfessional


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

Susan Francis is the author of her true memoir, The Love That Remains. After spending over twenty years searching for her biological parents, Susan met the love of her life. After a whirlwind romance, they married and set off on an amazing adventure to live overseas, but things took an unexpected turn. Susan joins host, Sandy Lowres, in the Confessional to tell her story - a story about secrets, life's shocking twists and unconditional love - in her own words. The Love that Remains is an honest and beautifully written memoir.

You can follow Susan at:
https://www.facebook.com/writingbysusanfrancis/

Or on Instagram: @susanfrancis29

Susan's memoir was printed by Allen & Unwin and can be purchased here:https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/other-books/The-Love-That-Remains-Susan-Francis-9781760876722

Follow us on instagram: @thegoodgirlconfessional


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. 

The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is a production of Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty

Craving more? You can find us at www.wb40.com
Instagram: @womenbeyondforty

Claire Ashman is a remarkable woman. She grew up in a sect, a break away from the Catholic Church, and at 18 married a man who would lead her into an even more sinister community. For almost a decade she lived by the whim of a man who called himself "Little Pebble", the leader of a doomsday cult called The Order of St. Charbel. Forced to join the religious order, she took a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience and attended prayer sessions three times a day, It was the concern for the safety of her eight young children that eventually saw her bravely flee with her kids from the secretive cult , led by convicted rapist and pedophile William Kamm, on the NSW south coast. After escaping the cult, Claire had no idea about the outside world or how to survive on her own. But survive she did. Claire went on to forge an amazing life, is an author, a coach and has delivered no less that four Ted X talks. She has remarried and raising her children in Brisbane, Australia.
Claire joins host, Sandy Lowres in the Confessional (ironic - yes, we know!) to tell Part 2 of Claire's remarkable journey of survival. (*Note: We made a conscious decision to have Claire's story told in two parts so that she could tell it fully - we recommend you listen to Part 1 first for context).

Claire Ashman is the author of Lessons of a Cult Survivor.
You can buy her remarkable book here:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Lessons-Cult-Survivor-Claire-Ashman-ebook/dp/B07G7276P5

You can watch Claire Ashman's Ted X Talks and find out more about Claire here:
www.claireashman.com


Follow us on instagram: @thegoodgirlconfessional

The Good Girl Confessional Podcast is a production of Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty

Craving more? You can find us at www.wb40.com
Instagram: @womenbeyondforty


The Good Girl Confessional and Wb40 - Women Beyond Forty team acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands this podcast is recorded and researched on - the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation and we pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging.