In this episode, I chat with my bookie friend Jules Collard about Craig Silvey's latest novel Honeybee. Honeybee is Craig's 3rd novel. It was shortlisted for the 2021 ABIA Prize and was the Dymocks book of the Year in 2020. Honeybee is a gorgeous coming of age story about a young Australian teenager struggling with gender dysphoria who is living in the margins of society.As mothers of teenagers, Jules and I both adored this book. This one is highly recommended - in fact - Jules considers it to be one of the best books she has ever read!

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In this episode, I share with you details of my other life as McAfee's Cybermum here in Australia and my top tips for how to ramp up your digital parenting game. I have been McAfee's Cybermum here in Australia where my main job is to help parents need to understand the online world. So, in this episode, I share with you my top tips that will help you master your digital parenting game. Check out the website here for more details! Thanks for listening Alex x

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In this episode I chat with Jules Sebastian about her first book Tea & Honesty. This book was such a joy to read - I even noticed that I started exclaiming out loud as I was reading it - regularly piping up with 'Absolutely' or 'Yes! Yes'. I very much felt that Jules and I were singing from the same songbook. In fact, I think she had me with her opening quote 'Life is like a cup of tea. It's all about how you make it.' After discussing our favourite teas and Jules' honest confession that she isn't an Early Grey fanatic like myself, we workshop the book including: - the quest for identity and the importance of being brave and owning who you are - the importance of finding your community and keeping them close - empathy and the inspiring story of US based company - how comparison is the thief of joy - and why we need to put our blinkers on and focus on our own lane. - how fear can be so disabling and how Jules moves through her fear- the loss of Jules' brother, Andrew, to suicide, just 5 days after her wedding day and Jules' thoughts and approach to managing grief. Check out the website for more details. Thanks for listening. Alex xx

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Finding the right foundation is often described as a life-long pursuit! Well, in this episode, Beauty Concierge and Makeup Artist Susan Napper gives us the lowdown on how to nail this! Susan shares all her knowhow in the area of complexion products - it's not just known as foundation anymore ladies - and her top tips on how to find the perfect foundation for your skin.Susan explains all the options we have for foundation and shares her top tips on how to both find and apply them. She also provides her recommendations on her favourite tried & tested products. Check out the episode show notes on our website for links to all the products discussed.Happy listening! Alex x

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I've been so looking forward to reading Curtis Sittenfeld's book Rodham for our book club. And it's finally happened. I'm joined by my clever author and song writer friend Mandy Newman to discuss this truly unique read. Rodham is a work of fiction that speculates what Hilary could have done if she had not married Bill. What would she have been able to achieve without Bill in her life? It's a blend of political biography and popular fiction. Curtis is clearly a Hilary fan girl. Both Mandy and I wonder if perhaps this book is in fact how Hilary's fans would have loved to see the outcome of the 2016 election, which she famously lost by a narrow margin to Donald Trump. If you are a Hilary fan or intrigued with the American political system then this book is a must! Check out our website here for more details. Happy listening Alex xx

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This week on the podcast, I chat with my dear friend Mandy Newman about why Australian women are uniting in collective voice about sexual assault and violence. We also talk about Mandy's first song release - One of Those Guys - and how she must have had a crystal ball! Here are the highlights:- Mandy tells us about her experience protesting in the March For Justice and we share the story of the organiser Janine Hendry who was concerned about the lack of positive male role models for her 16 year old son.- We share our thoughts on why the conversation is happening now. The impact of Grace Tame's appointment as Australian of The Year, Brittany Higgins' rape allegation while she was a staffer at Parliament House, the Christian Porter allegations and the the domino effect of Chanel Contos' survey on sexual consent and subsequent petition, entitled Teach Us Consent.- Mandy also tells us all about her first song - One Of Those Guys: why she wrote it, her motivation and why it's a perfect anthem for the conversation we are currently having! You can find Mandy's song here.Check out the podcast for our full discussion about this incredibly important issue. Conversations and story sharing are a critical part of moving towards a fairer, safer and more equitable world for all women.Happy listeningAlex x

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This week on the podcast, we are delving back into the world of self help with a book that is truly outstanding. Atomic Habits by James Clear is a must read - you absolutely need to put this at the top of your to be read pile! But apart from introducing to this great book, I am also so delighted to be introducing you to a very dear friend and Habit Expert - Matt Cowdroy who helps me workshop this book during the episode. This book is about transforming your life with tiny changes in behaviour. James Clear believes that real change comes from the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions - doing 2 push ups a day, waking up 5 minute earlier, drinking a cup of water every time you drink a coffee. He calls these atomic habits because he believes minuscule changes can turn into life altering outcomes.Check out the website for our favourite takeaways from this incredible book.Happy listeningAlex xx

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I've always been intrigued with KBeauty and have wanted to take a deep dive into this cult beauty approach for a long time now. So, in this episode, I chat with KBeauty expert Lauren Lee, who is the Founder of StyleStory, to find out what the fuss is about and what we need to know to get started.Lauren explains the differences between Western Beauty, why double cleansing and essences are a big deal and how hydration is the best way of combatting the signs of ageing.And make sure you check out the website - Lauren has put together a recommended regime for women who are concerned about their ageing skin - c'est moi! Lauren and I also share our favourite less and luxe products of the moment!Happy listening! Alex xx

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In this episode I chat with the incredible Heather Morris about her second book, Cilka's Journey. Launched in 2019 (yes - I'm catching up), Cilka's Journey is the follow-up story to The Tattooist of Auschwitz which took the world by storm when it hit out shelves in 2018. The Tattooist of Auschwitz was the first book we did in The Grown-Up Girls Report podcast in 2020. You can listen to the episode here. During my chat with Heather we talk about her relationship with Lale Sokolov, the gentleman who was the inspiration for The Tattooist of Auschwitz, her journey to uncover Cilka's story, her decision not to back away from talking about sexual violence and why this book is so incredibly relevant for our COVID affected world. You can check out more about the episode on our website here.

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In this episode, Alex speaks with Emma Sullings, the Founder of The Happy Boxes Project - a charity dedicated to breaking down the barriers that many Aussie women in remote communities face by providing access to everyday essentials.After studying teaching at uni, Emma worked in a remote community in the Northern Territory where she was 4 hours away from the closest town. She quickly saw the hardships that came with living remotely and set up about trying to support the girls in her care. Fast forward to now and The Happy Box Project is now supporting women in over 50 remote communities in 5 Australian states.Check out the website for the full show notes

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