Episodes

  • In Conversation with Michael Paynter
    Apr 30 2025
    Michael Paynter is one of Em’s best friends, they’ve worked together on her music, he also has mad singing skills (best believe that he is a SING-GER!) which he’s currently showing off 8 times a week, playing Jesus in the latest version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber rock opera ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’. Together they’ll discuss his awe inspiring take on the role of Jesus, from why he chose to accept the gig, the part Mahalia Barnes played in his decision, through to the enormity of taking on this kind of role and the emotional toll it takes on him during each performance. Plus Em asks him how he prepares himself before a show and what it’s like to take on a musical like this when he’s never even acted or done musical theatre before. Then in our Sealed Section, on our premium service Emsolation Extra, Em and Michael Paynter give you an extra 35 minutes where they discuss how they first met, their shared love of John Peter Farnham and both of them work their way through a bunch of hilarious and revealing rapid fire questions. Michael will also truly captivate you and prove his status as a SING-GER by singing his favourite John Farnham song ‘Burn For You’. You can sign up and listen for $1.87 a week, or watch the entire video of this conversation via the Supercast website for $2.50 a week at emsolation.supercast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    41 mins
  • In Conversation with (Bog Witch) Poh Ling Yeow
    Apr 23 2025
    She’s been the Beyoncé of the Rusciano household ever since she lost to Julie Goodwin on the first season of ‘Masterchef Australia’. Now the multi-talented Poh Ling Yeow is back as a judge on the new season of ‘Masterchef Australia: Back to Win’ premiering from 7.30 Monday April 28 on 10 and 10Play. Inside Poh discusses the upcoming season, how she’s navigated 2 divorces and managed to remain besties with both her ex’s, the expectations placed on women to have a career and children, and why she loves being alone. Poh also claimed before the chat that she is an actual bog witch (hence the reference in the episode title) and has so much knowledge to impart, from her experience of menopause, how she prioritises self care and managing guilt and making time to relax. So prepare to fall in love with Poh even more than you already do and to be schooled on how to be the ultimate bog witch. Then in our Sealed Section, on our premium service Emsolation Extra, Em and Michael discuss their picks for the new Catholic Pope and how it needs to be more like Drag Race, plus they reveal all the new TV series they’re consuming, including why the new season of ‘Hacks’ is disappointing Em. You can sign up and listen for $1.87 a week, or listen and watch the video of our main episode via the Supercast website for $2.50 a week at emsolation.supercast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    53 mins
  • Katy Perry in Space, Peter Dutton’s Housing & Lady Gaga’s Coachella Performance
    Apr 16 2025
    Is this real life? Apparently, it is, so we begin with a discussion on how wild all the topics are that we wanna discuss this week. We side quest into Em’s favourite corner of TikTok, the developing feud between Chinese luxury goods manufacturers and the Trump administration. Then it’s onto Katy Perry and Gayle King’s 11-minute feminist statement to “take up space” on Jeff Bezos’s wang shaped rocket. We reluctantly follow that up with Peter Dutton’s attempt to highlight the housing crisis bringing his son Harry to a press conference, with disastrous results. Finally, Em and Michael review Lady Gaga’s Coachella performance before they have to run off to try and secure their tickets to see her ‘Mayhem Ball’ tour. Then in our Sealed Section, on our premium service Emsolation Extra, you get the rest of their full Lady Gaga Coachella review, whilst they continue to try and buy their Gaga tickets, plus they tackle an Emsolation Facebook Group post about weaponised incompetence. You can sign up and listen for $1.87 a week, or listen and watch the video of our main episode via the Supercast website for $2.50 a week at emsolation.supercast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    46 mins
  • In Conversation with Sashi Perera
    Apr 9 2025
    (CW: Discussion of miscarriage) This week, comedian, writer, and recovering lawyer Sashi Perera joins Em in the studio to reveal how she moved from being a refugee lawyer for the UN, to becoming a standup comedian. Sashi’s hilarious social media clips helped her go viral before her debut stand up show, that show then secured her a Best Newcomer nomination at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2023. She’s also the only Australian comedian featured as ‘One to Watch’ at the UK 2021 Funny Women Awards and a two-time RAW Comedy finalist. You’ll learn the value of trying something different, how Sashi flipped her career in her 30’s, the freedom of not worrying about what others think, how she shared her IVF journey and the miscarriages that came from it, dealing with anxiety and ADHD, and the process of writing her upcoming book ‘Standstill’. Then Friday in our Sealed Section, on our premium service Emsolation Extra, Em & Michael talk the final episode of Season 3 of ‘The White Lotus’ and watching ‘Dying For Sex’ on Disney+. You can sign up and listen for $1.87 a week, or watch our video episodes via the Supercast website for $2.50 a week at emsolation.supercast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    53 mins
  • In Conversation with Joel Creasey
    Apr 2 2025
    This week comedian, TV and radio host, fashion enthusiast and actual friend of both Em and Michael, Joel Creasey joins the pod. Having seen his new standup show ‘Thanks For Being Here’ Em and Michael were determined to get Joel in to talk about his hilarious new tour and reflect on his 15 years of doing standup comedy shows. There’s reminiscing about Em and Joel’s early days of comedy gigs and their specific after show ritual, how busy Joel is and the benefits of his time working a stage musical like ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’. They even manage to cover off their mutual love of politics and ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’. Then in our Sealed Section, on our premium service Emsolation Extra, Em allows Joel to reveal his deep love of US Politics and his teensy tiny (actually huge) obsession with one particular CNN political reporter, plus all three of them work through a specific Spicy Sunday Low Key Hot Take and surprisingly Em and Joel do not agree on the specifics AT ALL! You can sign up and listen for $1.87 a week, or watch BOTH video episodes via the Supercast website for $2.50 a week at emsolation.supercast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
  • Adolescence, The White Lotus & Your Spicy Patrick from Offspring Hot Take
    Mar 26 2025
    ‘Adolescence’ is the new Netflix drama series the world is talking about. Em is terrified to watch it, but Michael wasn’t, so he offers up his review on if Em would be able to cope with it. Then Em reviews the last two episodes of ‘The White Lotus’ from that revealing confession scene in Bangkok, and that problematic threesome between the two brothers as well. Then we move onto another week of your Spicy Sunday Hot Takes starting with Emily’s low key hot take that the killing off of the character Patrick in ‘Offspring’ was the best decision Michael ever made *shock horror*. There’s also the hot takes that spoiler alerts can get in the bin and an Aperol Spritz take that inspires a revealing confession from Em. Then in our Sealed Section, on our premium service Emsolation Extra, Em gives us the full, detailed review of her night seeing ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ plus the chaos of adding a journalist to your private US Government chatroom. You can sign up and listen for $1.87 a week, or watch it for $2.50 a week at emsolation.supercast.com and don’t forget you can watch highlights from this episode in full maximalist colour on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/@emsolationpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    36 mins
  • In Conversation with Christine Anu
    Mar 25 2025
    Christine Anu has been a part of our lives since the early 90’s, in fact Em forced her dad Vincie to drive her directly to Brash’s to buy her debut album ‘Stylin’ Up’ after hearing her single ‘Party’ on the radio in 1995. Today she sits down with Em to talk about her role as Hermes in Em’s favourite musical ‘Hadestown’ which is currently playing in Sydney and moves to Melbourne from May 8. Inside they’ll talk about how groundbreaking her career was in the 90’s, the toll this role takes on her after every performance, plus a side quest about one of Em’s ‘Rage and Rainbow’ vagine costumes catching Christine’s eye mid conversation. Em also talks about why you need to make the effort to see Christine in this show if you can, how much of a trailblazer she was as an Indigenous Torres Strait Islander woman dealing with the music industry in the 90’s, plus the journey she’s been on to achieve self acceptance, while navigating grief, perimenopause and so much more. It’s a deeply moving chat that’s bound to inspire you and make you love Christine even more than you already do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    49 mins
  • Surprise Wang, Snow White & ND Celebration Week
    Mar 19 2025
    In her biggest backflip since she revealed her sudden love of Crocs, Em opens this episode by revealing she isn’t into surprise wang being foisted on her anymore after having surprise appendage dropped uponst her eyes by Jason Isaac’s character Timothy Ratliff in last week’s ‘White Lotus’ episode. Then Em and Michael chat about the preview screenings of the new live action remake of Disney’s ‘Snow White’. There was controversy around its production and then its release was delayed, so rumours quickly built that it was bound to be a failure, but the early reviews are raving about it, with some saying it’s Disney’s best live action adaptation ever. Finally, with Neurodivergent Celebration Week underway, Em wanted to talk about her goals around reframing how we view and talk about people who are neurodivergent in the speeches she’ll be giving about it this week. Plus we’re putting the call out to join our committee for Em's upcoming perimenopause podcast ‘Rage Against the Vagine’. Then in our Sealed Section, on our premium service Emsolation Extra, Em gives us the full rundown on her weekend at the F1 Grand Prix, plus we take on more of your Spicy Sunday Hot Takes including which is the superior Disney soundtrack. You can sign up and listen for $1.73 a week, or watch it for $2.30 a week at emsolation.supercast.com and don’t forget you can watch this episode in full maximalist colour on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/@emsolationpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    36 mins