Episodes

  • Bek Condello Was Born Into A Cult. Escaping Was The Easy Part

    Bek Condello Was Born Into A Cult. Escaping Was The Easy Part
    Jul 12 2026
    Bek Condello didn't choose the world she was born into. Raised inside the Geelong Revival Centre, a church she now describes as a cult, every aspect of her life was decided for her — what she believed, who she could trust, who she could marry, what she wore, and what would happen if she ever left. By the time she was an adult, she had never kissed anyone, never questioned the rules she'd grown up with, and genuinely believed the outside world was dangerous. In this conversation with Kate Langbroek, Bek explains why leaving wasn't the hardest part. The real challenge came afterwards: rebuilding an identity from scratch, grieving the parents she feels the cult stole from her, navigating a marriage that was never really her choice, and learning to trust her own instincts after a lifetime of being told not to. Bek also speaks candidly about the lasting impact of growing up in an environment where sex was framed as shameful, revealing how it contributed to a diagnosis of vaginismus after her wedding and the profound effect it had on her first marriage. This isn't simply a story about escaping a cult. It's about what happens when everything you've ever believed is stripped away, and you're left to answer one terrifying question: who are you when you've never been allowed to decide for yourself? Can You Handle a Girl Like Me? by Bek Condello is available now. If this episode raises concerns for you, support is available. You can find Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit their website for confidential crisis support. Support independent women’s media and get our biggest offer of the year. Subscribe here for 30% off your annual Mamamia subscription. Code applied at the checkout. Offer ends June 30. You can now watch our show in full length video on the Apple Podcast app - make sure your phone is up to date and we can't wait for you to see. CLICK HERE. What To Listen To Next: Listen: Harrison James: What Every Parent Should Know About GroomingListen: Jessica Rowe On The Brutal Public Humiliation That Changed Her ForeverListen: Esther Perel: When You Choose Your Partner and Lose Your FamilyListen: Georgie Tunny & Rob Mills: The Marriage And Baby Conversation Everyone Keeps Asking AboutListen: The Love Of My Life Was My Best Friend. Then She Died At 34Listen: Jeni Haynes Created 2681 Personalities To Survive Her Abusive FatherListen: Kate Ceberano Has Spent 40 Years Trying To Figure Herself Out Discover more Mamamia Podcasts here. Watch No Filter on YouTube. Follow us on Instagram here. Follow us on TikTok here. Feedback: podcast@mamamia.com.au Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP. Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review. CREDITS: Guest: Bek Condello Host: Kate Langbroek Executive Producer: Bree Player Audio and Video Producer: Julian Rosario Social Media Producer: Olivia Colman Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land on which we have recorded this podcast. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    1 hr and 20 mins
  • Dave 'Hughsey' Hughes: "I Have Been a Narcissist Most of My Life"

    Dave 'Hughsey' Hughes: "I Have Been a Narcissist Most of My Life"
    Jul 19 2026

    For more than three decades, Dave Hughes has made Australia laugh. But behind the unmistakable voice and self-deprecating humour is a man who's spent much of his life trying to understand what drives him.

    In this deeply personal conversation with his longtime friend and former radio co-host Kate Langbroek, Hughesy reflects on his childhood in Warrnambool, giving up alcohol and drugs at 22, the self-doubt that has followed him throughout his career, and why he now believes he's "been a narcissist all my life."

    He opens up about the need to be a hero, the surprising relationship between insecurity and success, the pressures of fame, his marriage to Holly, raising three teenagers, and the political opinions that have sparked headlines across the country.

    You can now watch our show in full length video on the Apple Podcast app - make sure your phone is up to date and we can't wait for you to see. CLICK HERE.

    What To Listen To Next:

    • Listen: Harrison James: What Every Parent Should Know About Grooming
    • Listen: Jessica Rowe On The Brutal Public Humiliation That Changed Her Forever
    • Listen: Esther Perel: When You Choose Your Partner and Lose Your Family
    • Listen: Georgie Tunny & Rob Mills: The Marriage And Baby Conversation Everyone Keeps Asking About
    • Listen: The Love Of My Life Was My Best Friend. Then She Died At 34
    • Listen: Jeni Haynes Created 2681 Personalities To Survive Her Abusive Father
    • Listen: Kate Ceberano Has Spent 40 Years Trying To Figure Herself Out

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    Discover more Mamamia Podcasts here.

    Watch No Filter on YouTube. Follow us on Instagram here. Follow us on TikTok here.

    Feedback: podcast@mamamia.com.au

    Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP.

    Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review.

    CREDITS:

    Guest: Dave Hughes

    Host: Kate Langbroek

    Executive Producer: Bree Player

    Audio and Video Producer: Julian Rosario

    Social Media Producer: Olivia Colman

    Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land on which we have recorded this podcast.

    Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    1 hr and 21 mins
  • Harrison James: What Every Parent Should Know About Grooming

    Harrison James: What Every Parent Should Know About Grooming
    Jul 5 2026
    Please note: In this episode, Harrison James shares his personal account of childhood sexual abuse. The allegations discussed have not been tested in court, and no findings have been made against the individuals referred to. This conversation reflects Harrison's lived experience and perspective. What happens when a child doesn't realise they're being groomed? For years, Harrison James believed he was in a relationship. It wasn't until he was 19 that he began to understand what had happened to him as childhood sexual abuse. In this extraordinary conversation, Harrison shares the story he's carried for years. He reflects on growing up in a violent home before moving in with his father as a teenager, where he was groomed and sexually abused by his stepmother. With remarkable honesty, he explains why he believed he was in love, the shame and confusion that kept him silent, and the psychological reality of grooming that so many people misunderstand. Harrison also speaks about becoming a father while he was still a child himself, the devastating moment everything unravelled, what it meant to finally be believed by his mother, and how he's transformed his experiences into advocacy for survivors across Australia. This is a powerful conversation about trauma, masculinity, resilience and recovery, and why understanding how grooming really works could help protect the next generation. Harrison's book, Transform Your Pain into Purpose, is available now. Content warning: This episode contains descriptions of child abuse If you or anyone you know needs expert help, please contact Bravehearts — an organisation providing support to victims of child abuse. If you are concerned about the welfare of a child, you can get advice from the Child Abuse Protection Hotline (1800 688 009) or the 24-Hour Child Abuse Report Line (131 478). Support independent women’s media and get our biggest offer of the year. Subscribe here for 30% off your annual Mamamia subscription. Code applied at the checkout. Offer ends June 30. You can now watch our show in full length video on the Apple Podcast app - make sure your phone is up to date and we can't wait for you to see. CLICK HERE. What To Listen To Next: Listen: Jessica Rowe On The Brutal Public Humiliation That Changed Her ForeverListen: Esther Perel: When You Choose Your Partner and Lose Your FamilyListen: Georgie Tunny & Rob Mills: The Marriage And Baby Conversation Everyone Keeps Asking AboutListen: The Love Of My Life Was My Best Friend. Then She Died At 34Listen: Jeni Haynes Created 2681 Personalities To Survive Her Abusive FatherListen: Kate Ceberano Has Spent 40 Years Trying To Figure Herself Out Discover more Mamamia Podcasts here. Watch No Filter on YouTube. Follow us on Instagram here. Follow us on TikTok here. Feedback: podcast@mamamia.com.au Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP. Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review. CREDITS: Guest: Harrison James Host: Kate Langbroek Executive Producer: Bree Player Audio and Video Producer: Julian Rosario Social Media Producer: Olivia Colman Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land on which we have recorded this podcast. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    1 hr and 24 mins
  • Your Most Urgent Perimenopause Questions, Answered By 25 Leading Experts

    Your Most Urgent Perimenopause Questions, Answered By 25 Leading Experts
    Jul 18 2026

    You hot? Same. Grab a fan, because Very Peri is officially here. Created by Mamamia, we’ve sorted through the noise to answer your most urgent perimenopause questions.

    There is no shortage of perimenopause information out there. In fact, there is too much and most of it is unregulated, incomplete or contradictory. Consider Very peri your single trusted source, built purely around your needs.

    Get instant access to over 20 on-demand videos featuring 25 leading perimenopause experts from Australia and around the world, including Australia's most trusted medical voice Dr Ginni Mansberg, New York Times bestselling author and internationally renowned gynecologist Dr Jen Gunter, acclaimed neuropsychiatrist Professor Jayashri Kulkarni and leading menopause dietitian Nigel Denby.

    Together, they deliver trusted, up-to-date advice on HRT, periods, weight gain, skin, insomnia, brain fog and so much more, alongside the Mamamia women you already know and love, including Out Loud's Holly Wainwright and Amelia Lester, You Beauty's Leigh Campbell and Unleashed's Cath Mahoney.

    Best of all, you get six months of flexible access to watch entirely at your own pace, whether that's from your couch at 11pm, at your desk during your lunch break or in the kitchen while you try to remember why you walked in there in the first place... because you know, brain fog.

    LAUNCH OFFER: Get your all-access pass for just $59 for a limited time only. That’s 40% off.

    Head to veryperi.com.au today.

    Disclaimer: The information provided through Very Peri, including video interviews, panel discussions and digital downloads, is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical or professional advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your general practitioner (GP) or another qualified healthcare professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment pathway.

    Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    7 mins
  • Jessica Rowe On The Brutal Public Humiliation That Changed Her Forever

    Jessica Rowe On The Brutal Public Humiliation That Changed Her Forever
    Jun 28 2026
    Jessica Rowe has lived much of her life in the public eye. As one of Australia's most recognisable television journalists, she reached the pinnacle of breakfast television when she joined the Today show in 2006. But what followed was one of the most brutal public takedowns in Australian media. Jessica was criticised for everything from her laugh to her appearance, became the target of relentless headlines, and was ultimately let go while on maternity leave. In this deeply personal conversation with Kate Langbroek, Jessica reflects on that extraordinary period of her life and the lessons that came from surviving it. She speaks candidly about workplace sexism, being sexually assaulted early in her career, learning to raise her voice, the apology from Karl Stefanovic that helped her finally let go of years of resentment, and why she no longer believes in shrinking herself to make other people comfortable. Jessica also shares why she's happier at 56 than she's ever been, the joy she's found in embracing imperfection, and the advice she hopes her daughters will carry with them into adulthood. This is a conversation about resilience, reinvention, forgiveness and what happens when you finally stop apologising for being exactly who you are. You can listen to Jessica Rowe's podcast; The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show here. Support independent women’s media and get our biggest offer of the year. Subscribe here for 30% off your annual Mamamia subscription. Code applied at the checkout. Offer ends June 30. You can now watch our show in full length video on the Apple Podcast app - make sure your phone is up to date and we can't wait for you to see. CLICK HERE. What To Listen To Next: Listen: Esther Perel: When You Choose Your Partner and Lose Your FamilyListen: Georgie Tunny & Rob Mills: The Marriage And Baby Conversation Everyone Keeps Asking AboutListen: The Love Of My Life Was My Best Friend. Then She Died At 34Listen: Jeni Haynes Created 2681 Personalities To Survive Her Abusive FatherListen: Kate Ceberano Has Spent 40 Years Trying To Figure Herself OutListen: Maisie Peters Has Moved On From Mid MenListen: EXCLUSIVE: Stephanie Browitt Survived The White Island Volcano. This Is Her Mother’s Story Too. Discover more Mamamia Podcasts here. Watch No Filter on YouTube. Follow us on Instagram here. Follow us on TikTok here. Feedback: podcast@mamamia.com.au Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP. Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review. CREDITS: Guest: Jessica Rowe Host: Kate Langbroek Executive Producer: Bree Player Audio and Video Producer: Julian Rosario Social Media Producer: Olivia Colman Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land on which we have recorded this podcast. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • How Faith Ward Became A Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader

    How Faith Ward Became A Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader
    Jun 25 2026
    Earlier this year, Kate Langbroek sat down with Faith Ward, an Australian–New Zealand dancer who went from thinking an unexpected message was a scam to becoming a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. With the hit series now out on Netflix, we're revisiting this episode to give fans the scoop of what was really going on off-screen. Faith takes us behind the uniform to talk candidly about what it actually takes to make it — and stay — inside the world’s most recognisable cheer squad. From the brutal audition process and constant scrutiny, to discipline, image control, and the realities of pay, Faith shares what the public rarely sees. We talk ponytails, pressure, pay rises, and perfection — the details that reveal how much is demanded of the women who wear the uniform, and what it costs to belong to such a powerful global brand. This is a behind-the-curtain conversation about ambition, sacrifice, identity and what happens when the glamour meets the reality. Support independent women’s media and get our biggest offer of the year. Subscribe here for 30% off your annual Mamamia subscription. Code applied at the checkout. Offer ends June 30. You can now watch our show in full length video on the Apple Podcast app - make sure your phone is up to date and we can't wait for you to see. CLICK HERE. What To Listen To Next: Listen: Esther Perel: When You Choose Your Partner and Lose Your FamilyListen: Georgie Tunny & Rob Mills: The Marriage And Baby Conversation Everyone Keeps Asking AboutListen: The Love Of My Life Was My Best Friend. Then She Died At 34Listen: Jeni Haynes Created 2681 Personalities To Survive Her Abusive FatherListen: Kate Ceberano Has Spent 40 Years Trying To Figure Herself OutListen: Maisie Peters Has Moved On From Mid MenListen: EXCLUSIVE: Stephanie Browitt Survived The White Island Volcano. This Is Her Mother’s Story Too. Discover more Mamamia Podcasts here. Watch No Filter on YouTube. Follow us on Instagram here. Follow us on TikTok here. Feedback: podcast@mamamia.com.au Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP. Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review. CREDITS: Guest: Faith Ward Host: Kate Langbroek Executive Producer: Bree Player Social Producer: Olivia Colman Video Producer: Julian Rosario Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    56 mins
  • Esther Perel: When You Choose Your Partner and Lose Your Family

    Esther Perel: When You Choose Your Partner and Lose Your Family
    Jun 21 2026
    From Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz-Beckham to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, we've watched family rifts play out publicly. But behind the headlines is a dilemma many people face in their own lives: what happens when the person you love doesn't fit into the family you come from? This week, Kate Langbroek sits down with world-renowned relationship therapist Esther Perel to discuss one of the most emotionally complicated tensions of adulthood — choosing your partner while trying to maintain your relationship with your family. Why do some parents struggle to accept their child's partner? Why can falling in love feel like betrayal? And when family conflict erupts, how do you protect your relationship without losing the people who raised you? Together, Kate and Esther unpack family estrangement, difficult in-laws, loyalty, intimacy, and the relationship patterns we inherit from our parents — and whether it's possible to build a marriage that looks different from the one we grew up with. Support independent women’s media and get our biggest offer of the year. Subscribe here for 30% off your annual Mamamia subscription. Code applied at the checkout. Offer ends June 30. You can now watch our show in full length video on the Apple Podcast app - make sure your phone is up to date and we can't wait for you to see. CLICK HERE. What To Listen To Next: Listen: Georgie Tunny & Rob Mills: The Marriage And Baby Conversation Everyone Keeps Asking AboutListen: The Love Of My Life Was My Best Friend. Then She Died At 34Listen: Jeni Haynes Created 2681 Personalities To Survive Her Abusive FatherListen: Kate Ceberano Has Spent 40 Years Trying To Figure Herself OutListen: Maisie Peters Has Moved On From Mid MenListen: EXCLUSIVE: Stephanie Browitt Survived The White Island Volcano. This Is Her Mother’s Story Too.Listen: Sophie Smith Lost Her Premature Triplets And Then Her Husband. This Is How She Kept GoingListen: Patrick Brammall Turned Down The Devil Wears Prada 2. Then He Got A Call Discover more Mamamia Podcasts here. Watch No Filter on YouTube. Follow us on Instagram here. Follow us on TikTok here. Feedback: podcast@mamamia.com.au Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP. Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review. CREDITS: Guest: Esther Perel Host: Kate Langbroek Executive Producer: Bree Player Audio and Video Producer: Julian Rosario Social Media Producer: Olivia Colman Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land on which we have recorded this podcast. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Georgie Tunny & Rob Mills: The Marriage And Baby Conversation Everyone Keeps Asking About

    Georgie Tunny & Rob Mills: The Marriage And Baby Conversation Everyone Keeps Asking About
    Jun 14 2026
    "When are you getting married?" It's the question Georgie Tunny and Rob Mills get asked more than any other. Closely followed by: "What about babies?" After seven years together and four years engaged, the couple sit down with Kate Langbroek to talk about the future they're building together, why they're in no rush to follow anyone else's timeline, and the DM that started it all. From Georgie leaving Rob on read for months to the first coffee date that changed everything, this conversation is full of the stories you've probably never heard before. They talk about ambition, career setbacks, long engagements, mental health, life in the spotlight, Georgie's debut novel Over To You, Rob's dream role in Waitress, and why the Paris Hilton chapter of his life is one they're both quite happy to laugh about now. Mostly, though, this feels less like an interview and more like sitting at a table with three friends catching up on all the gossip. Georgie Tunny's debut novel, Over To You is available now. See Rob in Waitress, now playing in Melbourne and heading to Sydney in August. Support independent women’s media and get our biggest offer of the year. Subscribe here for 30% off your annual Mamamia subscription. Code applied at the checkout. Offer ends June 30. You can now watch our show in full length video on the Apple Podcast app - make sure your phone is up to date and we can't wait for you to see. CLICK HERE. What To Listen To Next: Listen: Jeni Haynes Created 2681 Personalities To Survive Her Abusive FatherListen: Kate Ceberano Has Spent 40 Years Trying To Figure Herself OutListen: Maisie Peters Has Moved On From Mid MenListen: EXCLUSIVE: Stephanie Browitt Survived The White Island Volcano. This Is Her Mother’s Story Too.Listen: Sophie Smith Lost Her Premature Triplets And Then Her Husband. This Is How She Kept GoingListen: Patrick Brammall Turned Down The Devil Wears Prada 2. Then He Got A Call Discover more Mamamia Podcasts here. Watch No Filter on YouTube. Follow us on Instagram here. Follow us on TikTok here. Feedback: podcast@mamamia.com.au Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP. Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review. CREDITS: Guests: Georgie Tunny & Rob Mills Host: Kate Langbroek Executive Producer: Bree Player Audio and Video Producer: Julian Rosario Social Media Producer: Olivia Colman Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land on which we have recorded this podcast. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    1 hr and 12 mins