Life Matters - Separate stories podcast

It’s the time of year when you can't wait for time away from your job. But, as you reset for 2026, workplace researcher Dr Michelle McQuaid says there are lots of changes you can make to how you "do work" and how you "do life" so you feel re-energised in both these domains. And if your job is the problem, she says there are strategic ways to take the first steps towards a career change.

When two couples are close it can be a double marriage made in heaven. But what happens when one couple breaks up?Letter-writer Steve has split with his wife, but his best mate's spouse remains close to his ex. And now, this is impacting his friendship with his best mate. What can he do about this?If you have a dilemma in your life, the aunties would love to help! Email it to: lifematters@abc.net.au, feel free to use an alias, and we'll let you know before the aunties dive in. 

When you see someone begging at a train station, park, or outside your local supermarket... what goes through your head? Maybe you ask yourself - what should I do? Or you try to remember if you actually have any physical money you could give them.What you're probably not asking is ... "is this legal?" Across Australia, the laws around begging vary from state to state.In Victoria - where begging is illegal - its become an issue of public debate, following an inquest into the death of a Melbourne woman who was forced by her abusive partner to beg for food, cigarettes, and money.A Victorian coroner didn't criticise police, but said officers responding to complaints about her begging seemed to treat it as an individual issue rather than considering it in a broader context.And that's really the heart of it. Begging isn't just about someone asking for spare change ... it's a visible symptom of much deeper social problems.

The federal government is pushing local content quotas, forcing big streaming platforms to invest in Australian-made shows. Yet fewer Year 12 students are choosing creative arts subjects like drama, music, dance and visual arts.Can you blame them? For years, it’s been all about STEM, with arts degrees now costing nearly $55,000 and many universities making cuts to creative programs.So, are we doing enough to support the next wave of artists and performers? And what do we lose — as a country and a culture — if we don’t?Statement from Education Minister Jason Clare:"The Universities Accord is a blueprint for reform of higher education for the next decade and beyond."It made a number of recommendations and called out the previous Government's Job Ready-graduates program as a failure."We've bitten off a big chunk of its recommendations already – 31 of 47 in full or in part."This includes changes to make the repayment system for HECS fairer, which we've delivered as part of our legislation to cut all student debt by 20 per cent."In dollar terms, we're investing an extra $6.7 billion over the next decade in higher education after the previous government ripped money out."There's more work to do and we'll keep working through the recommendations."

Throughout 2025, ethicist Patrick Stokes has been unpacking the thorny topics for us. "Is it ok to lie in a memoir?", "Am I evil for not wanting to be around children?", "Is it ethical to create AI clones of people who've died?"We've named the segment Ask Aristotle, but we want to use this week as an opportunity to get back to basics. What sort of lessons did Aristotle actually espouse? What are some golden rules of philosophy we can apply to our lives in 2025?

Would you give up Christmas presents?Or are you like many of us and associate what you spend, with how much you care?There's been a backlash against over-consumption, so why do we still go wild at Christmas? And how can we untangle ourselves from the cycle of holiday spending?

New research shows lifestyle sports like BMX riding can be really beneficial for teenagers, providing positives they don't get from organised sport.Navigating new BMX jumps is a key drawcard of the sport, but these jumps are falling foul of local councils across the country, being demolished for safety and resident concerns. But if we're about to kick teens out of their online world, do we have a duty to make sure they can build communities in real life?

The classic image of the Australian coast is in trouble. Eroding dunes. Crumbling cliffs. Clubhouses teetering on the edge.Coastal erosion is quickly reshaping Australia's iconic coastline.It's a problem that's not just affecting us as beach-goers and taxpayers... it's potentially going to make the job of life savers harder in the future.

When you're stuck in a lift ... or waiting for a meeting to start, what's your go-to "small talk" opener?"Wow, it's hot today""How was the traffic on the way here?""Did you find somewhere to park?"Why do we even make small talk? And what happens if you just ... stop?

What could you buy with a trillion dollars? That's $1,000,000,000,000.It's hard enough to grasp just how much money that is, let alone how a single person could ever accumulate that kind of wealth.But with Tesla shareholders approving a record-breaking pay package for Elon Musk, the deal could make the world's richest man the first person in history to become a trillionaire.So how did we get to a place where one person can accumulate so much wealth? And why is the gap widening between the world's richest and the rest of us? 

Last week authorities shut down two illicit tobacco stores in Sydney... the first to be closed under new state laws targeting the illegal tobacco trade.It's a $10 billion trade that has flourished in Australia in recent years... with illicit cigarettes now comprising half of the products sold to the country's 2.7 million smokers. And the related underworld conflict is resulting in violent turf-wars.Meanwhile, the legal sale of cigarettes has slowed.So what impact is this having on Australia's smoking rates... and your local community?And what needs to be done if the goal is fewer smokers and a healthier population?

Many schools don't offer swimming lessons. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they were cancelled altogether - and lots of kids never went back.Now advocates say teenagers need a refresher course.They are calling for older children to get back to swimming lessons - amid a spike in downing deaths in people between 10 and 20 years of age.

What would it take for home owners to let go of the idea of their house as a financial asset, and to re-think what owning a home means?One Australian capital city is bucking the trend of skyrocketing house prices. While investors groan, should we actually be celebrating this? How can we share the wealth around? 

Keeping track of your subscriptions can feel like a full-time job.From streaming services to gym memberships, toilet paper deliveries and even cars that come with in-app purchases just to turn on heated seats — it's starting to feel like we're subscribed to everything, but actually own nothing.Last week, Microsoft apologised and agreed to refund around 2.7 million Australians, after the consumer watchdog accused the company of misleading customers into staying on more costly subscription plans.So how do we steer clear of subscription traps? Are consumer protections keeping up? And are we heading towards a future where ownership is a thing of the past?

Talking to your kids about consent can be anxiety-inducing. What can be even harder is having that conversation with your parents, in-laws, uncles and aunts.But, with consent education becoming mandatory around the country, there are strategies parents can learn if they want to bring those lessons back to home-base.

Family heirlooms can be cherished, preserved, and lovingly passed on through generations.They can also be aggressively fought over. What happens when your mum gifts an item that is deeply meaningful to you and your family to someone else's family!!??

The Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, especially for Chris Martin's family.The Coldplay frontman's daughter recently sung at a gig in Nashville - and reviews have been mixed. So, is this an example of privilege and nepotism, or is Apple just following a time-honoured tradition ... and inheriting the family trade? 

Australians are throwing away nearly 76 million tonnes of waste every year, much of which ends up in landfill.Around the country, it's getting more expensive to get rid of our rubbish and there are fewer places to dump it.So what do we do with all our waste? And how do we reduce the amount we produce in the first place?

At any given time there are 1,850 people waiting for a life changing organ transplant in Australia.What's it like to navigate the donation process? And what does it take to convince someone to make a donation that not only changes someone else's life, but theirs as well?

A new report out of Europe has shown that a few big name companies are creating children's toys that have harmful levels of chemicals on them.It's obviously not good news, but at this point is it even possible to avoid nasty chemicals that are already out there in the world, for us and our kids?