This is Part 2 in Episode 6 with Simone O’Brien: performer, firercracker, unapologetic feminist and a bloody great storyteller!

We’ve heard about feminism, patriarchy, queer 90s warehouse parties, menopause, sexuality and as we continue with Simones's story, we’ll hear what happens when a world‑touring aerial performer falls from a silk to come crashing to the ground, broken but not defeated. 

Combine that with a life changing diagnosis that forces a reckoning, with her body, her past, and even her father.

We’ll hear what happens after burnout, floods, and a lifetime of physical performance and creative pursuits which lead her to rise again on a cabaret stage as one half of the post punk band called MUTTON.

If you love stories about resilience, rebellion, and women who refuse to shrink… you’re in the right place!

Find out more about Simone and her work here - Mutton the Duo

Series 1 & 2 were made possible with assistance from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. cbf.com.au.

Support future episodes of WOW: Wise Older Women - here

Contact Host & Executive Producer Rasela Torise - [email protected]

Music generously provided by Purple Planet Music

Thank you for listening. We hope to bring you Series 3 of WOW in the near future!

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You know the sorts of people who carry a spark, the ones who walk into a room and before you know they’ve lit it up? Well today’s guest is one of those people.

Simone O’Brien is a physical theatre performer, a feminist, a firecracker of a woman and a bloody great storyteller. 

She grew up on the edge of a National Park with five brothers, and learned toughness the hard way, discovering early on in life that the world wasn’t going to hand her anything, so she built her own world instead.

She’s done so much in the 60 odd years she's been on this earthly plane. Much of it flying high above it over audiences on a trapeze! She's toured the globe with a queer aerial troupe, survived a damaging fall, battled illness, confronted her father in a moment of radical forgiveness, and rebuilt herself, body and soul, to emerge as the person you’re about to meet.

Simone lived inside the wild beating heart of Sydney’s 90s arts scene, has marched through waves of feminism, explored sexuality with honesty and now, in her sixties, she’s navigating menopause, hormone therapy, and the politics of women’s health with the same fierce intelligence she brings to everything, including her post-menopausal post punk cabaret band Mutton, alongside fellow band mate and WOW Ep.4 guest Gabrielle Griffin.

Simone is a brilliant storyteller, a woman who won’t be silenced, who continues to be seen, and who invites us to see ourselves more clearly in the process.

We’re taking a deep dive into Simone’s life: complete with triumphs, trauma, art, politics, the body, the healing, and the burning fire that never went out.

This is a story about feminism brought about by family dynamics, and the power of performance, something Simone was born to do.

FYI: Due to Simone's gift of storytelling, our original interview went for 2 hours and 45 minutes. 

In lieu of this, and the fact I simply refuse to edit out any more of its rich context and descriptive depths, you'll hear her whole story over two podcasts. 

This is Part 1.

Find out more about Simone and her work here - Mutton the Duo

Series 1 & 2 were made possible with assistance from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. cbf.com.au.

Support future episodes of WOW: Wise Older Women - here

Contact Host & Executive Producer Rasela Torise - [email protected]

Music generously provided by Purple Planet Music

Part 2 with Simone O'Brien - AVAILBLE NOW.

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My guest Kara Gray lived a life shaped by forces no child should ever have to face. But she’s also lived a life shaped by ancestors, ceremony, by intuition and compassion, and by a fierce commitment to breaking cycles that have travelled through generations.

She joins us not to relive the past, but to share the wisdom she’s gathered, the healing and reclamation, the return to her inner child, and the deep knowing that we are more than what happened to us.

Before we begin today’s conversation, I want to acknowledge the courage, heart, and the deep wairua (spirit) that our guest brings into this space. It’s also important to acknowledge that what you’re about to hear is not just a story of trauma, it is a story of survival, cultural memory, spiritual awakening, and of a woman who has walked through the shadows and chosen again and again to stand in love and light.

CONTENT WARNING:

This episode contains discussions around childhood sexual abuse, violence, and intergenerational harm. They’re difficult topics, and they might bring up strong emotions. Please take care of yourself as you listen. Pause if you need to. Take a breath. Come back when you’re ready. If what you hear brings up overwhelming emotions, please reach out to Beyond Blue # 1300 22 46 36 or Lifeline # 13 11 14

Side note: The way that Kara speaks her truth creates a confronting yet comforting listening environment. There’s a calming wisdom that prevails which allows us to feel into a life that many would deem unbearable, were it not for the innate wisdom within, the wairua, the spirit of the soul, guiding it home, beyond what was happening and into what it has become.

It’s an honour to hold this kōrero with Kara Gray.  To listen and be trusted with such an important sharing of wise and tender words.

I never know what a guest will want to share in their story and I want to thank Kara for the bravery and authenticity that carries the messages that come through, which will land differently in each of us. 

Kara would like to acknowledge the creators of the Waiata (song) that came through to be here today, which is included in this podcast.

Find out more about Kara and her work here - Facebook

Series 1 & 2 were made possible with assistance from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. cbf.com.au.

Support future episodes of WOW: Wise Older Women - here

Contact Host & Executive Producer Rasela Torise - [email protected]

Music generously provided by Purple Planet Music

S2 Ep.6 Guest: Simone O'Brien - COMING SOON.

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Today’s episode is the story of a woman who has created a full and colourfully creative life by choice. The choice to seek truth, to choose dance, to say yes when others might have said no. 

Gabrielle Griffin aka GG was born in France, raised across Europe, and grew up in a family shaped by secrets, including one that didn’t surface until she was in the throes of teenage life, when her mother revealed she’d had a baby before GG was born. That revelation cracked open GG’s world and set her on a path of rebellion, independence, and ultimately, truth‑seeking.

At twenty, she moved to Australia alone reinventing herself along the way from Sydney to Byron Bay and from the wild tropics of FNQ to Adelaides art scene. She navigated culture shock, anxiety, and the search for belonging in a country that felt both foreign and full of possibility.

Her life has taken her through family lies and discoveries, political queer culture, motherhood, dark postnatal depression, relocating to another state without her son, disability arts, adult puppetry, sexual explorations in her 40’s and put in the hard work of rebuilding a creative identity after everything fell apart. She has lived through rupture and reconnection, including eventually finding the brother she never knew she had.

Through it all, she's followed one constant: Movement, dance, performance and embodiment. It’s the language she trusted even when nothing else made sense.

Today, she is one half of the post punk cabaret duo MUTTON*, a performer whose life experience is woven into every drumbeat, every gesture, every delightful moment on stage. She's also currently an adult puppeteer, a Pilates instructor, an activist, a blogger and a disability dance teacher, and who knows what’s still to come!

This is a story about the search for truth and the courage to keep trusting that your own path will unfold in the process.

*Tune into Episode 6 to meet Simone O'Brien the 'other half' of Mutton!

Find out more about GG's work here - Facebook

Series 1 & 2 were made possible with assistance from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. cbf.com.au.

Support future episodes of WOW: Wise Older Women - here

Contact Host & Executive Producer Rasela Torise - [email protected]

Music generously provided by Purple Planet Music

S2 Ep.5 Guest: Kara Gray (Carole). COMING SOON.

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Gayle Cue is a woman who grew up under a wide Montana sky in the Northwest of the US. That harsh and heavenly country provided her with grit and groundedness along with the gift of resilience and strength which continues to help carry her forward.

Gayles story weaves through all the juicy ingredients of a life lived in flow, allowing what is meant to be, to simply be. It might have taken her a few years or even a few decades to reach that conclusion and that’s what we’re here to acknowledge in this series of storytelling.

Gayle married at 18 and became a young mum before recognising the need for change. That bravery steered her toward navigating a new relationship which introduced her to blended family life, with four kids under seven.

Then came the moment that changed everything: Gayles second husband sat up in bed one morning and announced. “We’re going on a trip.” 

The family took a giant leap that carried them across the world, to eventually land on Bunjalung country in Byron Bay. It’s here she co‑created Sound Waves Music Store, helped build a community radio station and temporarily housed all of it’s volunteers. Gayle inevitably became one of the quiet forces shaping the creative heartbeat of the town. 

She’s lived through profound loss, rebuilt her life more than once, travelled to sacred sites around the world and remembered past lives. More recently she’s embraced shared living, and stepped into elderhood with a mix of humility, humour, and deep soulful insight.

Gayle is vibrant, wise, grounded, and endlessly curious. She’s the kind of elder we can look to, to be reminded that - as life expands – so do we.

Content warning: This episode contains discussion and references to suicide. Some parts may be distressing or triggering for some listeners. Please take care of yourself while listening and reach out for support if needed or stop listening at any time.

You can catch Gayle on Bay FM during her show Still Groovin

Series 1 & 2 were made possible with assistance from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. cbf.com.au.

Support future episodes of WOW: Wise Older Women - Here

Contact Host & Executive Producer Rasela Torise - [email protected]

Music generously provided by Purple Planet Music

S2 Ep.4 Guest: Gabrielle Griffin. COMING SOON.

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In this episode we sit with a herbal rebel who helped spark a cultural movement.

Heard of HHH? (Happy High Herbs). That's the one! We get to know an artist who builds worlds out of imagination and recycled magic. We’ll wind through psychedelic forests and enter a story of queerness before language, of sensuality as a compass, of menopause as meno-morphosis, and of a body that has been both battleground and oracle. It’s a story of losing pleasure, fighting tooth and nail for it, and reclaiming it in ways that defy medical expectations. But that's only part of the story.

Eliza’s life is art and rebellion. Full of grief and grit, humour and magic. It is the exquisite mushroom growing from the compost.

Eliza also speaks about women's sexual health particularly Lichen Sclerosis which she discusses in-depth, covering all aspects including where to seek support and how Eliza manages the condition naturally these days. Yes, it can be done!

This isn't just an interview, it’s a herbal initiation. A journey through the alchemy of becoming, unbecoming, and becoming again. A strong theme that weaves throughout the WOW series.

You are about to enter the world of Eliza Rix in this CBF grant funded Series WOW: Wise Older Women “Wisdom that grows louder with time”

 *Tissues may be required.

Links to Lichen Sclerosis Support and Information:

•  The Coyle Institute a woman’s hospital in Pensacola Florida is promoting a special laser treatment for Lichen sclerosis in particular. Awaiting to hear of peer reviews about it now. - https://youtu.be/JTiVWTIJkIE?si=0oZgUesXoX8EwMYS
• Groundbreaking lichen sclerosis treatment - https://youtu.be/hlR-Qmc_YEE
• Pelvic physical therapist - Ashliecthepelvicpt on TikTok 
•  Clitoral Myofascial release - Clitoral Myofascial Release for Lichen Sclerosus: Un-fuse Without Surgery
• Pelvic Guru Online training MYO facial Clitorial Release -   https://lssupportnetwork.org/she-reversed-severe-clitoral-adhesions-without-surgery/

To find out more about Eliza head to Elizabeth.Rix IG page.

Series 1 & 2 were made possible with assistance from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. cbf.com.au.

Support future episodes of WOW: Wise Older Women - Here

Contact Host & Executive Producer Rasela Torise - [email protected]

Music generously provided by Purple Planet Music

S2 Ep.3 Guest: Gayle Cue COMING SOON.

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Kathryn Roberts grew up in Perth as the youngest of three, wandering gardens as a toddler, talking to nature, and asking questions most adults couldn’t answer. Questions like: Where do we come from? Where do we go? Is there something more than this human experience?

Her parents were socialists, activists, the kinds of people who encouraged her to think outside the square. But life had its own lessons in store for her. Family breakdown, loss, illness, spiritual searching, a two-year "Blues Brothers" around Australia in a decked-out Ford Falcon, and a path that led her from London to the Hawaiian island of Molokai. 

Here she lived off‑grid, restored taro patches, and learned the foundational teachings of Kumu Pa’a, part of a Lineage of over 50 generations from Halawa Valley of Molokai.

Today, Kathryn’s a cultural bridge. Someone who carries the teachings of Ho’oponopono, Hula, Lomi, and Hawaiian philosophy into the modern world, with integrity, humility, and lived experience.

To find out more about Kathryn's work head to her Facebook Page OR Instagram

Series 1 & 2 were made possible with assistance from the Community Broadcasting Foundation

Support future episodes of WOW: Wise Older Women HERE

Contact Host & Executive Producer Rasela Torise HERE

Music generously provided by Purple Planet Music

S2 Ep.2 Guest: Eliza Rix COMING SOON!

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Birthing doula, activist, astrologer, public speaker and respected community Elder.

While still at school this budding cosmic astrologer was chosen as Australian ambassador for the United Nations and travelled to the US during 'The Summer of Love'.

Some would say Maha is homeless, although I'm sure she will tell you the world is her home.

We meet spontaneously between the ocean and the bush, the sound of cicadas vibrating loudly in the background and without any formal preparation, to record her extraordinarily moving story.

Traditional storytelling at its best with wisdom and knowledge shared through the age-old art of conversation.

This is a CBF grant funded project in collaboration with BayFM Byron and Plantation Studios.

Executive producer Rasela Torise. 

Music www.purple-planet.com

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Octogenarian, Founder of 'Movement Matters’, Feldenkrais Practitioner, Physiotherapist, Embodied Aging Consultant, Grandmother and the inspiration behind this project.

Growing up as a kid in a Tasmanian National Park on the Freycinet Peninsular, informed within her a healthy childlike curiosity, playful creativity, and quirky ‘outta-the-box’ common-sense thinking.

The osmotic ripples from this nature-based upbringing have permeated throughout her life, yet it’s only now that Sandy feels able to find the language that best describes the experience and its ongoing effects.

Her own professional career began in 1964 when she founded as a sole trader her online business 'Movement Matters’ and since then she has worked continuously both internationally and nationally in many diverse settings, cultures and countries.

Sandy brings a rich synthesis of evidence-based science and lived experiences into the programs she teaches, bringing to her work a wealth of over 50yrs experience in the field of intervention prevention healthy aging and longevity. She is passionate about engaging the body’s innate ability to heal and restore optimal functioning regardless of age.

In her late 70’s Sandy was given a clinical diagnosis that in Sandy’s words was 'a profound relief’. We’ll hear more about neural diversity and the effect it’s had on Sandy and those closest to her as this interview unfolds.

Traditional storytelling at its best with wisdom and knowledge shared through the age-old art of conversation.

This is a CBF grant funded project in collaboration with BayFM Byron and Plantation Studios.

Executive producer Rasela Torise. 

Music www.purple-planet.com

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Long-time local, dancing devi, businesswoman and Ayurvedic alchemist.

Known for her presence on the Byron Shire dance floors for over 25 years and as the creative force behind the inaugural We Dance Festival in late 2024.

Christina was Founder & previous Owner/Director of Hari Har Chai and winner of the 2017 APAC awards for her innovative approach to business.

She received a Bachelor of Science degree from Flinders University, Adelaide, before studying Ayurveda while living in India.

Having reached the 'other side' of Menopause, Christina shares positive perspectives from an Ayurvedic as well as personal viewpoint.

Traditional storytelling at its best with wisdom and knowledge shared through the age-old art of conversation.

This is a CBF grant funded project in collaboration with BayFM Byron and Plantation Studios.

Executive producer Rasela Torise. 

Music www.purple-planet.com

Support the show