Life Matters - Separate stories podcast

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? 

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? 

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.

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!!??

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?

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?

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?