Via her popular weekly column for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, Kate Halfpenny is known for speaking her mind, having an opinion and sharing it with the public.

And now she’s written a book about her life, marriage, mental health – and the toll her husband’s drinking took on all of it.

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll get to hear the inside story of how one column Kate wrote created a maelstrom of fury, which in turn led to the writing of her magnificent memoir Boogie Wonderland.

Today I get to talk to Kate about how this book came about, how she dealt with online hate and how her decision to make a sea change from Melbourne's cosy hipster suburb of Collingwood to a sleepy ocean town led to a mid-life reckoning she neither expected nor wanted.

What we cover:

• The surprising column that landed Kate a book deal.
• Why vulnerability is her greatest storytelling strength.
• How she handles online hate (including serious threats).
• Mental health strategies for navigating public backlash.
• The reality of writing about your own life and the people in it.
• Tips for pitching stories and landing a column in major publications.
• How AI is changing the writing business and what Kate’s doing about it.

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This podcast is brought to you by the Australian Writers' Centre. WritersCentre.com.au

Join our community of copywriters at CopyClub.com.au.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Would you like to become an influencer? Would you like a step-by-step playbook for how to get that career up and running? If you’ve ever wanted to monetise your passions and turn your knowledge into profit, this is the episode for you.

Kat Moses is the founder of MGMT, one of Australia’s leading influencer talent agencies. She manages many of the big names in Australia and knows what’s what and who’s who in the world of influencer marketing, influencer management, brand collabs and much more.

I sat down with Kat to talk about all things influencers, but what I loved most about our chat was that she gave me a blow-by-blow summary of how I could become an influencer – and it’s a guide that you could use to do the same.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Kat transitioned from working for others to being the founder of her own agency.
• Why she moved to Los Angeles to grow the business.
• A day in the life of a successful influencer.
• How anyone can turn their knowledge into actionable insights people would pay for.
• What she looks for in an influencer and how to find representation.
• Why authenticity and consistency always beat follower count.
• How to create a compelling content plan.
• How creators can future-proof themselves in the face of AI, fatigue, and shifting platforms.
• The exact blueprint Kat uses to help new talent find their niche, grow fast, and get paid.
• Why influencer marketing is far from over, and where it’s heading next.

Read the show notes

This podcast is brought to you by the Australian Writers' Centre. WritersCentre.com.au

Join our community of copywriters at CopyClub.com.au.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems like everyone has got a podcast right now, but few know how to turn their podcast into a content empire like Glen James.

Glen started out life as a financial planner, and when he realised what impact he was making on people’s lives, he decided to scale up his business and use podcasting to reach more people.

Podcasting is just one pillar in his content empire, but if you’re interested in learning how someone has turned their passion for a topic into a very profitable content business, this is the episode for you.

You’ll learn:

• How Glen went from teen investing nerd to podcast founder and author
• How he monetises his podcast
• How he uses two clear guidelines to decide where he puts his time and energy
• How to ensure your podcast guests promote the podcast for you
• How to create magnificent lead magnets that work
• How to use the podcast to find new clients
• How to future-proof your content business.

Read the show notes

This podcast is brought to you by the Australian Writers' Centre. WritersCentre.com.au

Join our community of copywriters at CopyClub.com.au.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.