Deborah Thomas’s career in fashion and media started in the dress-ups of her teen years, took her through the punk scene of Melbourne and onto the catwalks of Europe, before she became known Australia-wide as the Editor in Chief of Australian Women’s Weekly. She opens up about her stellar media career, then becoming a female CEO in a male dominated industry, and the later career heartbreak of the Dreamworld theme park accident, together with the deep friendship she built in its aftermath.
Rob Hirst: The Final Interview
Midnight Oil’s co-founder, acclaimed drummer and songwriter Rob Hirst talks about his childhood, his early love of the Beatles, the shaping influence of his parents, his relationship to — and song writing process with — his Midnight Oil “blood brothers”, his passion for poetry, melody and history, his love of gardens, family and friends, and, in the face of terminal illness, his gratitude for a blessed life. Rob spoke with David Leser for this podcast just a few months before his death in January 2026.
Ben Quilty: Problems to Solve — not People to Kill
Ben Quilty on love, masculinity, anxiety and the power of kindness. This wide-ranging conversation delves into the art and passions of Ben Quilty, also his friendship with Bali Nine prisoner-turned-artist Myuran Sukumarun, as well as the silence surrounding abuse during his schooling years. A visual artist always asking the ‘why’, Quilty is candid about the ‘unknowingness’ of creating and the cultural importance of art.
Trailer: Heart & Soul with David Leser
At a time of profound uncertainty and rapid change, Heart & Soul offers a place for spacious, thoughtful conversation with people who have deeply impacted our lives, as well as an opportunity to reflect more deeply on what it means to be human. A series of conversations — hosted by award-winning Australian journalist, author, and public speaker, David Leser — that delve deeply into some of the themes crying out for our attention, not the least being how to find empathy in an age of outrage.