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We move from a raw reflection on the Bondi tragedy to practical tools that restore agency at a stressful time of year. Five major Christmas scams are unpacked with psychology, red flags and clear steps to protect your money and your calm.

• how urgency, generosity and time pressure raise risk
• fake online stores and counterfeit deliveries
• parcel delivery phishing and malware traps
• travel deals that never existed
• banking impersonation and account locked texts
• gift card payment demands and why they are untraceable
• scarcity bias, social proof and loss aversion explained
• simple safety rules and when to call the bank
• reporting to Scamwatch and supporting family
• slowing down as the strongest defence

Share this episode with someone doing their Christmas shopping online. Forward it to your family group chat because the best offence against scams is knowledge. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to be releasing three chapters a week from my first book, The Audiobook of Why Smart Women Make Bad Decisions. Do yourself a favour and listen.

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Proudly sponsored by COUP — helping brands cut through the noise with bold, smart marketing. Visit the http://coup.co website or book a meeting with us at. https://go.oncehub.com/RequestMeeting

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We challenge the idea of “nagging” and swap it for clearer timing, safer habits, and fairer workload. One of us needs quick wins, the other needs deep-focus blocks, and we build a shared system so both can work.

• acknowledging Sydney context and recent grief
• unpacking whether nagging is a gendered term
• ADHD, deep work, and distractibility costs
• quick tasks versus complex tasks at home
• safety reminders versus ambient prompts
• timing triage: now, end of day, scheduled
• scripts for asking without escalating
• shared lists, alarms, and completion loops
• aligning different speeds with patience and follow‑through
• closing with empathy, humour, and less tension

Please let me know if you encounter any of these ongoing issues. I’d love to hear your perspective on it because we certainly do

Support the show

Proudly sponsored by COUP — helping brands cut through the noise with bold, smart marketing. Visit the http://coup.co website or book a meeting with us at. https://go.oncehub.com/RequestMeeting

Send us a message!

Support the show

Proudly sponsored by COUP — helping brands cut through the noise with bold, smart marketing. Visit the http://coup.co website or book a meeting with us at. https://go.oncehub.com/RequestMeeting

Send us a message!

We challenge the wellness industry’s menopause claims and explain what actually works, from HRT to bone health. We unpack why wild yam cream can’t work, how bias and group pressure shape choices, and which tests and treatments improve life.

• why “natural” menopause fixes sound convincing but fail
• how HRT works, timing, and safety updates
• bone health basics, DEXA scans, calcium and vitamin D
• the limits of CGMs and biohacking in healthy people
• wild yam cream’s enzyme problem and skin barriers
• bias, identity protection, and why anecdotes spread
• practical steps to get evidence-based relief

Do yourselves a favor and go to your doctor and discuss the medical options

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Proudly sponsored by COUP — helping brands cut through the noise with bold, smart marketing. Visit the http://coup.co website or book a meeting with us at. https://go.oncehub.com/RequestMeeting

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We record live with Australian Skeptics to unpack wellness fads, anti‑vax myths, and why certainty beats nuance online. From onion cures to HPV wins, we share how to challenge claims with empathy, evidence, and clear language without feeding false balance.

• defining skepticism as open inquiry and testing claims
• why psychics and alt‑med thrive on confidence and scripts
• the language of wellness and the lure of certainty
• conflicts when sellers diagnose and sell supplements
• mind body spirit festival irony and real clinical care
• HPV vaccine success and countering anti‑vax tactics
• false equivalence in media and platforming
• who is truly holistic in healthcare and why
• ivermectin, appeal to nature, and big wellness economics
• practical critical thinking and audience fragmentation

You can find out more about this and future events at meetup.com forward slash ost skeptics

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Proudly sponsored by COUP — helping brands cut through the noise with bold, smart marketing. Visit the http://coup.co website or book a meeting with us at. https://go.oncehub.com/RequestMeeting

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We dig into Australia’s “Cooker Wars,” why online hype didn’t translate into real marches, and how grifters turn fear into sales. Along the way we unpack media tactics, harmful pseudoscience, and what you can actually do about microplastics without falling for scams.

• who the “cookers” are and why their marches flopped
• how online engagement misleads organisers and followers
• splinter groups, date confusion and poor logistics
• the grift model from vaccine myths to EMF gadgets
• selective-edit media tactics and why anecdotes seduce
• racism and anti‑immigration pivots framed as “vetting”
• real risks of microplastics and practical mitigation
• why detox claims and black salve are dangerous
• questions to test claims, sources and motives

Thank you so much for tuning in. And as always, stay safe, stay well

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Proudly sponsored by COUP — helping brands cut through the noise with bold, smart marketing. Visit the http://coup.co website or book a meeting with us at. https://go.oncehub.com/RequestMeeting

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We explore how quiet, steady change can break the shopping dopamine loop, reduce bias-driven choices, and build a wardrobe that reflects who we really are. Emma Edwards shares tools for metacognition, enoughness, and outfit repeating without fear while keeping values in view.

• recognising present bias, urgency bias and loss aversion in shopping
• exposure therapy for desire and “empty the cart” tactics
• buying possibility versus getting reality
• outfit repeating, the spotlight effect and reframing enoughness
• distinguishing joy from “should” in beauty and fashion
• habits for health without consumer triggers
• sustainability that follows once the dopamine fog lifts
• building a wardrobe for longevity, fit and frequent wear

“Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast, and share it with your fellow smart women and allies”

Support the show

Proudly sponsored by COUP — helping brands cut through the noise with bold, smart marketing. Visit the http://coup.co website or book a meeting with us at. https://go.oncehub.com/RequestMeeting

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We talk with Emma Edwards about The Wardrobe Project, a year-long pause on clothes shopping that reveals how bias, body image, and culture fuel compulsive buying. The pause creates a new way to enjoy style without chasing constant newness.

• the no-buy year and why a full stop on shopping matters
• how hedonic adaptation keeps us stuck in the “newness” loop
• body image pressures and the polished ideal
• the clean girl trend, wellness purity and coded thinness
• fantasy self versus real self in our wardrobe choices
• practical ways to find joy using what you already own
• building an outfit album to retrain your eye
• confidence as practice, not purchase

And don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast and share it with your fellow smart women and allies

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the show

Proudly sponsored by COUP — helping brands cut through the noise with bold, smart marketing. Visit the http://coup.co website or book a meeting with us at. https://go.oncehub.com/RequestMeeting