Content warning: This episode discusses child abuse and may be distressing to some listeners. Please listen with care.

In this urgent episode, we’re joined by former Detective Senior Constable and child safety expert Kristi McVee, to unpack how we can better protect children in today’s world - at home, in care, and online.

Kristi spent over a decade in the WA Police Force as a Specialist Child Interviewer before founding Child Abuse Prevention & Education Australia (CAPE-AU). She’s also the author of Operation KidSafe, a powerful guide for families navigating child safety.

We discuss the devastating case of Joshua Dale Brown, a Melbourne childcare worker charged with over 70 offences involving the abuse of at least eight children — some as young as five months — across 20 centres between 2017 and 2025.

We cover:

- The system failures that allowed this abuse to continue unchecked.

- Sleepovers, school camps and other tough safety decisions.

- The risks of sharing children’s photos online.

- How Kristi’s background as a detective shapes her own parenting choices.

- Practical strategies every family can implement to keep kids safe.

This is a confronting but essential conversation about turning fear into informed, protective action. Kristi offers clear, practical tools that every parent, educator, and caregiver should hear.

Connect with Kristi on socials at @kristimcvee.

Buy her book Operation KidSafe: A Detective’s Guide to Child Abuse Prevention and go to her website Child Abuse Prevention & Education Australia (CAPE-AU) or www.kristimcvee.com

From the episode: 10 Body Safety Books Every Protective Parent Should Own

Connect with the show on socials at @jana.firestone and watch FULL video episodes on YouTube at The Curious Life Podcast.

Thank you to our wonderful engineer/producer Sam Talbot, as always!

Content warning: This episode contains discussion of death, grief, suicide, and suicidal ideation. Please listen mindfully.

In this special episode of The Curious Life Podcast, we are re-sharing a powerful conversation originally recorded for The Days That Follow (a grief recovery podcast).

Chris Walker is best known for his work behind the scenes of some of Australia’s most beloved television programs. But in this raw and moving interview, he opens up about the sudden death of his older brother, Adam, who died on Christmas Eve when Chris was just nine years old.

What follows is a deeply honest exploration of childhood grief, unspoken trauma, and the invisible weight of loss carried into adulthood. Chris reflects on the silence that surrounded his family’s tragedy, how grief resurfaced later in life, and the ways he’s worked to heal while building a meaningful life and career.

This episode is a tender, reflective reminder that even the most successful lives can hold private pain — and that healing often begins by breaking the silence.

Connect with Chris on socials at @chriswalkertv

Watch full interviews on YouTube: The Curious Life Podcast
Follow the show on Instagram: @jana.firestone

Love the show? Please leave a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

This episode was audio engineered and produced by the brilliant Sam Talbot.

Comedian Chris Franjola is back for the third time, for some much needed lightness in these heavy times.

We dissected some of the latest hot topics, wondering what happened to Katy Perry, why the Bezos wedding has been top of all social media news, and Chris' reflections now on his time on Chelsea Lately.

Chris also shared some inside Hollywood experiences and just why he and Chelsea Handler will take their secrets to the grave.

Chris is an absolute delight and we had a lot of fun skipping around the pop culture world together.

Catch his podcast Cover to Cover and follow him at @chrisfranjola.

Leave us a rating and review of this episode and don't forget to like and subscribe on Youtube at @thecuriouslifepodcast. Full episodes now available to watch!

Follow the show on insta at @jana.firestone

Thank you as always to the wonderful Sam Talbot, for our brilliant production and audio engineering.

The hilarious and brilliant, Victoria Vanstone is back with a new book and new insights into the wild world of parenting... while sober.

You will remember Vic from her previous episode and book, A Thousand Wasted Sundays (as brilliant and funny and relatable as her new book). In this episode, we went deep into our shared experiences of parenting, from guilt and shame, to the need for a separate identity and the year that Vic spent in active pursuit of becoming a better mum. That's just scratching the surface.

For the reality fans, we also drew a sharp comparison to the thankless tasks of household duties and the interior crew on Below Deck. Where's our tip!?

You can read all about Vic's year of experiments and exploration in her new book, Mumming: A year of trying (and failing) to be a better parent.

Listen to her podcast if you have any thoughts or curiosities about a sober life at Sober Awkward. Find her on socials at @drunkmummysobermummy.

Follow the show at @jana.firestone on Instagram and WATCH FULL EPS ON YOUTUBE at @thecuriouslifepodcast.

Please make sure you're liked and subscribed, leave a rating, review on iTunes or Spotify and jump into the comments on YouTube!

Thank you to the wonderful Sam Talbot who had to work his audio magic even harder with this ep, thanks to a technical failing on my part! A true audio engineering and production extraordinaire.

This week we welcomed back the legend that is Ryan Bailey, from So Bad It’s Good with Ryan Bailey. And what a treat it was! This is the ultimate Bravo breakdown for anyone interested in reality tv and pop culture.

We covered the Summer House reunion, the Paige and Craig breakup, the darkness of The Valley, the joys and horrors of Bravo’s Love Hotel, and the palate cleansing sweet relief of Four Seasons on Netflix.

We wondered why we are both blocked by Paige, and if Jesse Solomon really is just one giant gland? What is it about Scheana that triggers a complete lack of empathy in so many? Thoughts on Trump’s pardon of the Chrisleys and will the Menendez brothers be next?

And that’s just scratching the surface. Ryan’s takes on popculture and Bravo are deeply insightful and might just give you another lens to view your favourite shows through.

Subscribe to So Bad It’s Good with Ryan Bailey on Youtube,listen to the podcast (it’s my actual fave!) and remember to rate his show five stars.

While you’re at it, please rate this show five stars and leave a review on iTunes. It’s the easiest way to support (and we would be so grateful!)

Find me at @jana.firestone and share your thoughts on this episode.

Thank you to the wonderful Sam Talbot, engineer and production whizz that keeps this show going.

What if there really is life, before life?

Journalist, editor, podcaster and author Amy Molloy has spent time exploring just that. Do we have past lives? And if we do, can children remember them? Which led to her next enquiry - how we can parent our children in a way that supports their previous life experiences.

In this conversation, we dove right into what past life parenting means, how we can connect with our own past lives, a new way to look at neurodivergence and the layers of research that Amy undertook to gain these intriguing insights.

In her new book Wise Child (which we chat about here), Amy uncovers the lessons we can learn from our children about life and death, childhood fears and phobias and her own experiences as a mother of three.

This is a fascinating look at parenting from a completely different perspective.

You can find Amy at @amy_molloy or at www.amymolloy.com.au

Follow the show at @jana.firestone

Please leave a rating and review on iTunes and Spotify, to help the show keep ticking along!

Thank you to the wonderful Sam Talbot for the production of this show.

Emmy Sharrett is a rising star and bonafide Bravoleb, who you might know from Bravo's "Southern Hospitality".

With three seasons now under her belt, Emmy has had to face the reality tv gauntlet, with unique highs and intense lows.

She faced more than most, with her relationship with partner Will Kulp under constant scrutiny, and her co-stars accused of fabricating elaborate schemes to bring their relationship down.

Emmy had some pretty iconic scenes in Season 3 as far as reality tv goes, which were often a direct result of her raw emotion and overwhelm.

But what we didn't know at the time, was that bubbling away underneath all of her reactions, was actually a lifelong diagnosis of ADHD and sensory processing challenges. Both of which can cause an intense experience of overstimulation - and as we saw, some big reactions.

In this episode, Emmy goes deep into her life with a neurodivergent brain, the challenges she faced at her various schools across the world and throughout her life, and how she has learned to manage it through the decades. She has great advice for parents of kids with ADHD and shares her thoughts on the medication debate.

You'll also hear Emmy's insights into the show, her behaviour, her castmates and her thriving relationship with Will.

Whether you're a Bravo fan or are curious to learn more about the experience of ADHD , then this episode is for you!

Follow Emmy at @emmysharrett.

Follow the show at @jana.firestone.

Please leave a rating and review on iTunes!

Thank you to Sam Talbot, for audio engineering and production as always!

In this electric episode, I sit down with The Queen of Confidence herself—Erika Cramer.

From a childhood in foster care, to surviving abuse, a lifechanging injury and losing her husband in a tragic accident. Yes, all of this in one lifetime. Rebuilding her life from scratch in Australia, Erika’s journey is nothing short of extraordinary.

Now a powerhouse speaker, coach, and bestselling author, Erika shares the raw truth behind her new book Becoming Magnetic—a guide to healing your past, owning your story, and stepping into the kind of confidence that pulls people toward you.

We talked about:

• The turning points that reshaped her identity

• What it really means to be magnetic (hint: it’s not what you think)

• How she moved through immeasurable grief, trauma and fear

• Her favorite tools for self-trust and confidence building

• Why sharing your story can be your biggest superpower

  
  

Erika is bold, unfiltered, and full of heart. And this conversation is the permission slip you didn’t know you needed.

🔗 Follow Erika on Instagram: @thequeenofconfidence
📘 Grab her book Becoming Magnetic: Available now wherever books are sold
🎧 Follow the show @jana.firestone and make sure you're subscribed, rating, and reviewing on iTunes!

Audio engineering and production by the wonderful Sam Talbot.