Love Stories

Sensitive issues raised. 💓 Before she was the first winner of MasterChef Australia, Julie Goodwin was a 19‑year‑old girl on Pennant Hills Road, in a car with a quiet boy who loved rock music. The Angels came on, “I Just Want to Be With You” started to play, and somewhere between the traffic lights and the chorus, Mick casually said, “This’d be my song for you.” For Julie, that was it. Her heart locked on. “This is my person. In this episode of The Australian Women’s Weekly Love Stories with Deputy Editor Tiffany Dunk , we meet Julie and Mick not as TV talent and “the husband”, but as two teenagers who grew up together through youth‑group blanket drives, three babies under three, sickeningly tight finances and one life altering car accident that broke both of Mick’s legs and quietly cemented Julie’s love.  Then life does what it does. There’s the global juggernaut of MasterChef and the strange disorientation of fame strangers kissing Julie in the supermarket, overseas trips, new opportunities and the pressure of becoming a “public person” overnight. There’s the reality of raising three boys while money was so tight that beer and pizza with friends feels like unthinkable luxury, and the dawning recognition that “the best cuisine comes from poverty” because you learn to make magic out of whatever is in the pantry. And then there is the crash you didn’t see on TV: the years of unrelenting standards, perfectionism and deepening mental ill‑health that Julie became expert at hiding – even from the man she calls her best friend. “I think my best energy was put towards making sure he didn’t know how bad I was,” she says. “He’s the person I wanted to let down the least, which of course means he’s the person I let down the most.” Mick speaks quietly about the guilt of not seeing, the anger at himself, and the moment he realised there was something much bigger happening than being “a bit stressed” Together, they talk about breakdown, hospitalisation, shame that “dies in daylight”, and the long, work it took of building a life back up, as a series of daily choices to stay, to love and listen and to sit in pain with someone you are devoted to. They describe their marriage as shoulder‑to‑shoulder, facing outwards: sometimes pulling in opposite directions, often resetting to remember that they still want the same point on the map. Along the way there are grandparent fart jokes, volunteer shifts in homeless kitchens, a caravan they’re restoring, and a promise to aim for 60 years together. What makes this conversation so affecting is not just what they’ve survived, but how ordinary it all feels  a love story that moves from school‑captain youth group meetings to national fame to ICU waiting rooms and back again, without ever losing the thread of “we”. Julie says she plans to keep falling in love with every iteration of Mick that comes next. Mick says this is simply “the life we signed up for”  the rollercoaster they agreed to ride, side by side If you’ve ever loved someone through a hard season, hidden your own unraveling from the person you trust most, or wondered how couples actually stay together when life goes sideways, this episode has something to say to you.    Thank you for listening ❤️  before you leave...  🗣️ Get in touch   For support: Contact https://www.lifeline.org.au/ free of charge 13 11 14 What did you think? We are a brand new podcast and would love to hear from you as we build this together. Join our friendly Love Stories community and visit us at womensweekly.com.auEmail us your love stories (and any feedback) at awwlovestories@aremedia.com.au If you share your love story on social media please tag us – we’re @womensweeklymag – and use the hashtag #AWWLoveStories. Subscribe to The Australian Women’s Weekly at subscription  👈🏽 If you loved hearing Julie, you can follow her on Instagram and read her book:  Your Time Starts Now    available now wherever you get your books.  Julie’s Tour dates and locations Julie Goodwin website   🙏 Our special thanks for making 'Love Stories' our new home:  Vixin  real results, simple skincare that's a little bit fancySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s nothing quite like that giddy the rush of first love. But while not every first romance will last the distance, for Samantha Harris her first love became her husband… and now the father of her newly arrived baby daughter Bella. In this intimate conversation with Love Stories host Tiffany Dunk – deputy editor of The Australian Women’s Weekly – new mum Sam talks to her journey from shy small-town teen to international supermodel to the latest member of the new mum club, with the sleepless nights, self-doubt and reflection that come along with that ride. This episode marks an exciting new chapter for The Australian Women’s Weekly as it steps beyond the page and the screen and into your ears, with stories now living across socials, the website, and this new podcast. It’s the same warm storytelling you know, now designed for your commute, your kitchen bench, and those late-night scrolls. Moments you’ll hear: The thrilling moment that, after months of disappointment, a pregnancy test finally “lit up like a Christmas tree” and began a whole new chapter for Samantha and her little family. Sam relives the moment the first boy she ever dated asked her out, her thrill at received her first Valentine’s Day rose and the low-key Maccas and KFC dates that fuelled her young relationship. Grab your tissue box as Sam reveals the heartbreaking loss that inspired her daughter’s special name. As sleepless nights set in, Sam unflinchingly talks about her new mum uncertainty, what sustains her and what she wants others in the same situation to know. And she talks about the importance of keeping your spark alive – an Listen now for a sweet and relatable journey of a girl who grew up in front of our eyes learning how to raise a daughter of her own – and keep her spark along the way. Thank you for listening ❤️  before you leave...  🗣️ Get in touch   What did you think? We are a brand new podcast and would love to hear from you as we build this together. Join our friendly Love Stories community and visit us at womensweekly.com.auEmail us your love stories (and any feedback) at awwlovestories@aremedia.com.au If you share your love story on social media please tag us – we’re @womensweeklymag – and use the hashtag #AWWLoveStories. Subscribe to The Australian Women’s Weekly at subscription  👈🏽 If you loved hearing from Sam, you can follow her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sam_harris Sam has written a memoir with her mother, Myrna Davison. Role Model: Taking up pace in the fashion world is available now wherever you get your books.    🙏 Our special thanks for making 'Love Stories' our new home:  Vixin  real results, simple skincare that's a little bit fancySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Love stories rarely look this cinematic in real life, but Jessica Rowe and Pete Overton make a strong case for the romcoms they both adore. In this intimate new conversation with host Tiffany Dunk Deputy Editor of The Australian Women’s Weekly, the long time couple pull back the curtain on 22 years of marriage, IVF heartbreak and joy, teenage daughters, rescue pets, and the small daily rituals that keep their love stubbornly, gloriously alive.  This episode marks an exciting new chapter for The Australian Women’s Weekly as it steps beyond the page and the screen and into your ears, with stories now living across socials, the website, and this new podcast. It’s the same warm storytelling you know, now designed for your commute, your kitchen bench, and those late night scrolls.  🎧Moments you’ll hear:   From a work experience crush at Channel Nine to a Logies night almost‑miss, Jess and Pete trace the slow burn origin story that became a lifelong partnership.  They relive the phone call that changed everything, when Jess decided to break the rules and ask him out herself  and why they now tell young women (and men) to “pick up the phone” and risk the yes.  Their wedding was unapologetically cat coded: a Tom Jones bridal waltz to “What’s New Pussycat,” feline themed cake, and cat cupcakes for guests.  Jess shares the raw reality of IVF  the repeated attempts, the car park phone call when “third time lucky” didn’t happen, and the Milan hotel room moment when Pete finally heard, “You’re going to be a father.  Pete reveals the story that broke his on‑air composure the murder of Hannah Clarke and her daughters and what it taught him about letting the audience see his humanity  Listen for a tender, funny, quietly radical love story  and a very Australian reminder that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is make the call, say the thing, pour the coffee and share an honest  conversation.     Thank you for listening ❤️  before you leave...  🗣️ Get in touch   What did you think? We are a brand new podcast and would love to hear from you as we build this together. Join our friendly Love Stories community and visit us at womensweekly.com.auEmail us your love stories (and any feedback) at awwlovestories@aremedia.com.au If you share your love story on social media please tag us – we’re @womensweeklymag – and use the hashtag #AWWLoveStories. Subscribe to The Australian Women’s Weekly at subscription  👈🏽 If you loved hearing from Jess, follow her on Instagram or listen to The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show podcast.  Peter presents Nine News Sydney nightly at 6pm https://www.9news.com.au/sydney    👀 See more  The Ying and Yang of Jessica Rowe and Peter Overtons relationship Putting Yourself First  Welcome to the Australian Women's Weekly Love Stories Podcast   🙏 Our special thanks for making 'Love Stories' our new home:  Vixin  real results, simple skincare that's a little bit fancy.   Credits:  Edited by Phoebe Zukowski -Wallace  Production by Thomas Crnkovic   Our wonderful Australian Women’s Weekly team   Learn More: Womens Weekly Website       See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s your love language? The Australian Women's Weekly Love Stories is for the chronically curious about the strongest of our emotions. Hosted by Tiffany Dunk, this podcast swaps cliché romcom endings for real, messy, magnetic connections told by unforgettable voices from The Australian Women’s Weekly universe. From lifelong mateship to unexpected soulmates to finding love both within and beyond yourself, Love Stories is intimate, surprising and quietly empowering.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.