In the first ever Book Club episode of A Podcast of One’s Own, Julia and co-host Sarah Holland-Batt delve into Australian author Anna Funder’s new work Wifedom. Wifedom tells the untold story of Eileen O'Shaughnessy and her marriage to George Orwell, one of the most famed English writers of all time. Funder recreates the Orwell’s’ marriage, taking readers through the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War in London. Eileen’s story has been largely ignored by the history books, and as Funder shows, sometimes even rewritten by biographers of Orwell. Julia and Sarah discuss Funder’s uniqu ..read more

In this episode, Julia sits down with activist, sexual consent champion and a voice for her generation, Chanel Contos. Chanel was a catalyst for transforming how consent education works in Australia. In 2021, aged just 22, she sparked a national media storm when she exposed the alarming level of sexual assault in Sydney private schools. From here, the “Teach Us Consent” Campaign was born –  an online petition asking for sexual consent education in Australian schools, which quickly gained more than 44,000 signatures supported by over 6,500 testimonies of sexual assault. And less just a yea ..read more

In the final episode of 2023, Julia takes a look back at the incredible conversations of Season 5. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information ..read more

Sam Mostyn has had a formidable career in executive positions, working across business, sport, climate change, the arts, policy and not for profit. She recently led the Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce, and was the first woman AFL Commissioner, where she spearheaded the creation of a women’s league.  Now Sam is taking over from Julia as Chair of Beyond Blue, Australia’s leading mental health support service. In this episode, Julia and Sam discuss mental health, gender equality and how women can succeed in what is often still very much a man’s world. Show notes If you need mental ..read more

Elly Desmarchelier is a proud disabled woman who uses her voice to advocate for the 1 in 5 Australians living with disability.  Elly was the public face of a national campaign to maintain and defend the integrity of Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme, taking the fight all the way to Parliament House in Canberra. Elly and Julia discuss the barriers and discrimination Elly has faced and overcome throughout her life, and her determination to pave a smoother path for the next generation. Show notes: You can find out more about Australia's Disability Royal Commission at: Royal ..read more

Angela Rayner is the Deputy Leader of the British Labour Party. She has a remarkable life story, which she shared with Julia at a live event hosted by The Global Institute for Women's Leadership at King's College London. In this episode, you'll hear that conversation, recorded live from the event. Angela not only spoke to Julia about her own life, but they also discussed the gendered barriers on the political frontline and what a general election in the United Kingdom would mean for women. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information ..read more

When the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 2021 after two decades of democratic rule, the world watched in horror. Despite initial promises that women would be able to exercise their rights within Sharia Law, the Taliban has systematically excluded women and girls from public life. In the months that have followed, the situation has only grown more desperate for Afghanistan’s women, who now live under one of the most restrictive regimes in the world. They are unable to access secondary education, travel without a male relative, and even more recently have been banne ..read more

Founded in 2012, the Stella Prize is a major literary award celebrating Australian women’s writing, and championing diversity and cultural change. To celebrate the 2023 award, Julia sat down with this year’s winner, poet Sarah Holland-Batt. Sarah’s work, The Jaguar, is a deeply personal collection of poems canvassing different dimensions of love, loss and beauty. It delves particularly into her beloved father’s long journey with Parkinson’s, and the profound effect it had on Sarah and her family. Julia and Sarah speak candidly about grief, love and solving poetry's PR problem. Show notes ..read more

In this episode, Julia is joined by Dr Elise Stephenson to take a deep dive into gender equality in space. They unpack some of the major barriers facing women and marginalised groups in the industry – everything from equipment failures to inadequate research – and explore the unprecedented opportunities the rapidly developing space sector presents for improving the lives of generations to come by building a sustainable and gender-equal future. Elise is the Deputy Director of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at the Australian National University and her research seeks to t ..read more

In 2020, Dame Sharon White became the first-ever woman to become chair of John Lewis & Partners, the largest employee-owned business in the UK,. In 2022 she was named the UK’s most influential black person in the Powerlist awards. She was the first woman to lead the UK’s media regulator, Ofcom, and she came to that position after a distinguished career in Treasury, the Department for International Development and the World Bank.    In the week of International Women’s Day, Julia sat down with Sharon to discuss her career journey and her views on how to work towards greater gender ..read more