The Scroll Less Podcast

How often do we really reach for our phones? And what happens when we’re completely honest about it?

In this episode of The Scroll Less Podcast, Gia is joined by Jenna Yates — mother of three and co-host of How Motherhood Changed Me — for a very honest and hilarious phone confessional.

Nothing is off the table as Gia and Jenna unpack their own phone habits: how often they reach for their phones, the ridiculous lengths they’ll go to for some uninterrupted scrolling, and what all that phone time might be doing to their kids, partners and family life.

There are plenty of laughs and some slightly embarrassing confessions along the way — including one spectacular phone-related moment Gia may never live down.

No judgement. Nothing off limits. Just two friends getting very honest about their phones — and what they’re trying to do differently.

🎧 What You’ll Hear

• Just how often Gia and Jenna really reach for their phones

• The lengths they’ll go to for uninterrupted scrolling

• Phones in bathrooms, at swimming lessons… and even in the shower

• How their phone habits can affect their kids, partners and family life

• The uncomfortable reality of our kids watching our phone habits

• Why wanting to scroll less doesn’t necessarily make it easy

• Some very honest — and very funny — phone confessions

• Gia’s most embarrassing phone moment

• What they’re both trying to do differently

💙 Scroll Less September

The Scroll Less Podcast is the official podcast of Scroll Less September — an Australian campaign helping us spend less time on our phones and more time living real life.

Scroll Less September

[email protected]

More Life. Less Scroll.

🎧 Hear More from Jenna

How Motherhood Changed Me Podcast

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple Podcasts

🔗 Resources

eSafety Commissioner — information, advice and resources about staying safer online, including healthier screen-time habits.

⚠️ A Gentle Reminder

This podcast is for general information and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalised medical, psychological or professional advice.

For mental health support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Acknowledgement of Country

The Scroll Less Podcast is recorded on the traditional lands of the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains. We acknowledge the Kaurna people as the Traditional Custodians of this land and pay our respects to Elders past and present.

🙏 Thanks for Listening

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow The Scroll Less Podcast, leave a review and share it with a friend. 💙

More Life. Less Scroll.

⚠️ Content Advice

This episode contains discussion of suicide, the death of a young person and sexual extortion. Please take care while listening. If this isn’t the right time for you to hear this conversation, please choose another episode and come back when you feel ready.

Support services are listed below.

Wayne Holdsworth’s son Mac was 17 when he died by suicide.

Before his death, Mac had experienced sexual extortion online — an experience Wayne says had a profound impact on his son. His story is a confronting reminder that what happens in our digital lives can have very real consequences offline.

Since Mac’s death, Wayne has made it his mission to help other families avoid the heartbreak his family has endured. Through SmackTalk, he shares Mac’s story and advocates for suicide prevention, online safety and what he calls “mental fitness.”

In this raw and honest conversation, Wayne shares the signs he believes he missed, what he wants every family to know, and why asking the right open-ended questions can be so important when someone is struggling.

🎧 What You’ll Hear

• Mac’s story and the online sexual extortion he experienced

• The signs Wayne says, in hindsight, he missed

• What Wayne wants every family to know

• Why open-ended questions can help us really check in with someone

• Why Wayne prefers the term “mental fitness”

• Why listening — and having the courage to keep asking — matters

• Wayne’s push for greater and more responsible discussion of suicide in the media

• How SmackTalk is taking Mac’s story into schools, workplaces and communities

🎙 About Wayne Holdsworth

Wayne Holdsworth is the founder of SmackTalk and a passionate advocate for suicide prevention, online safety and mental fitness.

Through SmackTalk, Wayne shares Mac’s story with thousands of students, parents and professionals, helping people recognise when someone may be struggling and start conversations that matter.

SmackTalk

💙 Scroll Less September

The Scroll Less Podcast is the official podcast of Scroll Less September — an Australian campaign helping us spend less time on our phones and more time living real life.

Scroll Less September

[email protected]

More Life. Less Scroll.

🔗 Resources & Support

If this episode raises concerns for you or someone you know, support is available.

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467

Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636

Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800

In an emergency, call 000.

eSafety Commissioner — information and support around online sexual extortion and online safety.

SmackTalk — Wayne’s work, presentations and resources.

⚠️ A Gentle Reminder

This podcast is for general information and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalised medical, psychological or professional advice.

If you are concerned about your mental health or the wellbeing of someone else, please seek professional support or contact one of the services above.

Acknowledgement of Country

The Scroll Less Podcast is recorded on the traditional lands of the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains. We acknowledge the Kaurna people as the Traditional Custodians of this land and pay our respects to Elders past and present.

🙏 Thanks for Listening

If you found this episode valuable, please follow The Scroll Less Podcast, leave a review and share it with someone who may benefit from hearing Wayne’s message.

More Life. Less Scroll. 💙

How do we help our kids navigate the digital world — without losing the real-life connection that matters most?

In this episode of The Scroll Less Podcast, Gia is joined by Australia’s queen of common-sense parenting, Maggie Dent, to talk about her new book Digital Freedom, co-written with online safety expert Kirra Pendergast.

From algorithms and AI to social media and online harms, Maggie breaks down some big topics in her trademark relatable way — and offers practical advice for families navigating an ever-changing digital world.

But this conversation isn’t just about our kids’ technology use. It’s also about our own.

Gia and Maggie explore what technology can quietly displace when it comes to connection with our children and the people we love, why our own phone habits matter, and why parents have more power than they might think.

🎧 What You’ll Hear

• What parents need to understand about algorithms and AI

• Why algorithms can learn from what we avoid, not just what we engage with

• The online harms parents need to be aware of• What technology may be displacing when it comes to family connection

• Why our own phone habits as parents matter

• Practical ways to help kids build healthier relationships with technology

• Why Maggie believes parents have enormous power to make a difference

🎙 About Maggie Dent

Maggie Dent is one of Australia’s best-known parenting authors, educators and speakers, affectionately known as Australia’s “queen of common sense.”

Her latest book, Digital Freedom: A Guide to Less Screen Time for Safer, Happier and Healthier Families, co-written with online safety expert Kirra Pendergast, offers practical strategies for helping families navigate the digital world.

💙 Scroll Less September

The Scroll Less Podcast is the official podcast of Scroll Less September — an Australian campaign helping us spend less time on our phones and more time living real life.

Scroll Less September

[email protected]

More Life. Less Scroll.

🔗 Resources

Maggie Dent

Digital Freedome

Safety Commissioner

Control Shift

⚠️ A Gentle Reminder

This episode contains a brief mention of eating disorders and self-harm.

This podcast is for general information and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalised medical, psychological or professional advice.

For mental health support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Acknowledgement of Country

The Scroll Less Podcast is recorded on the traditional lands of the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains. We acknowledge the Kaurna people as the Traditional Custodians of this land and pay our respects to Elders past and present.

🙏 Thanks for Listening

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow The Scroll Less Podcast, leave a review and share it with a friend. 💙

More Life. Less Scroll.

Why is it so hard to put our phones down?

For the very first episode of The Scroll Less Podcast, Gia is joined by leading neuro-performance scientist and digital wellbeing expert Dr Kristy Goodwin to unpack our increasingly complicated relationship with our phones.

They explore the statistic that helped inspire Scroll Less September — that the average Australian could spend almost 17 years of their life on their phone — and what our increasingly always-on digital lives are doing to our brains, attention and wellbeing.

Kristy explains what she calls the “Digital Vortex” — the powerful pull of our devices that can turn a quick check into far more time than we intended. From dopamine and notifications to endless scrolling and algorithms, she unpacks why our phones can be so difficult to resist and why this isn’t simply a matter of willpower.

They also explore what constant digital stimulation and task-switching are doing to our brains, why we’ve become so uncomfortable with boredom, and what we can actually do to create more space in an always-on world.

This isn’t about giving up our phones or feeling guilty about using them. It’s about understanding what’s happening in our brains and finding realistic ways to use technology more intentionally.

🎧 What You’ll Hear

• The Digital Vortex — and why “just checking” our phones can so easily turn into much more

• The neuroscience behind scrolling, dopamine and distraction

• How technology is designed to capture and hold our attention

• What an always-on world is doing to our focus, memory and wellbeing

• Why constantly switching our attention is so exhausting

• Why boredom and quiet time are actually good for our brains

• Kristy’s concepts of the “Success Tax” and “Spacious Success”

• What a healthy relationship with technology can look like

• Simple, science-backed ways to create healthier phone habits

🎙 About Dr Kristy Goodwin

Dr Kristy Goodwin is a neuro-performance scientist, keynote speaker, executive coach and award-winning author of Dear Digital, We Need to Talk.

She is also the host of the Spacious Success Podcast and author of the upcoming book Spacious Success.

💙 Scroll Less September

The Scroll Less Podcast is the official podcast of Scroll Less September.

Scroll Less September is an Australian campaign designed to help us spend less time on our phones and more time living real life.

To sign up or find out more, visit: https://www.scrolllessseptember.com.au

More Life. Less Scroll.

📩 Contact

Scroll Less September

Website: https://www.scrolllessseptember.com.au

Email: [email protected]

🔗 Resources

Dr Kristy Goodwin

Website: https://drkristygoodwin.com

Spacious Success Podcast: https://drkristygoodwin.com/spacious-success/

eSafety Commissioner

Information, advice and resources to help Australians stay safer online: https://www.esafety.gov.au

⚠️ A Gentle Reminder

The information shared in this podcast is for general information and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalised medical, psychological or professional advice.

If you have concerns about your mental health or wellbeing, please speak with your GP or another qualified health professional.

For mental health support, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.

Acknowledgement of Country

The Scroll Less Podcast is recorded on the traditional lands of the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains. We acknowledge the Kaurna people as the Traditional Custodians of this land and pay our respects to Elders past and present.

🙏 Thanks for Listening

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow The Scroll Less Podcast, leave a review and share it with a friend. Every follow, review and share helps us reach more people. 💙

And if you’re taking part in Scroll Less September — keep going. One small change can make more room for real life and the moments that matter most.

More Life. Less Scroll.

We will spend years of our lives on our phones. They connect us, entertain us and make life easier — but how are they changing the way we live?

The Scroll Less Podcast explores our increasingly complicated relationship with our phones and the digital world, and what it means for our relationships, attention, mental wellbeing, families and everyday lives.

Through honest conversations, expert insights and real stories, we explore how to navigate a world that’s changing faster than ever — and find a healthier balance with the technology we rely on every day.

Hosted by Gia Hogarth, founder of Scroll Less September.