James Valentine Head Room

In a special bonus episode for The Beliefs Series, James Valentine is joined by broadcaster, journalist, author, and academic; Wiradjuri man, Stan Grant.

James Valentine sits down with Jana Pittman at a stage in her life where she is looking inward and considering carefully what her beliefs are. How has family, the public, her career and relationships shaped who she is?

In this episode, James meets with Turbans 4 Australia founder Amar Singh, whose charity work won him the 2023 Australian Of The Year Local Hero award.As an Australian Sikh, Amar has worked tirelessly to promote multiculturalism and religious tolerance, connecting all walks of life through his charity.But what does he believe about the Australian way of life, parenting, religion and his career on the road as a truck driver.

This week you'll hear from commentator and journalist, Janet Albrechtsen. She is a columnist for The Australian and has written about topics from war to equal pay. Her headlines draw in readers but what does she believe?

In Head Room; The Beliefs Series, James Valentine sits down with high-profile Australians to find out about the fundamental aspect that drives everything they do; their beliefs. Beliefs about god, about work, about raising children, about cats and dogs.Long term ABC Journalist Chris Masters sits down with James Valentine for Episode Nine of Headroom: The Beliefs Series. Growing up in a large family of journalists and media professionals, Chris' beliefs are structured by the pursuit of the truth. How does his work influence his opinion and thoughts on the world?As a storied investigative journalist, Masters is no stranger to controversy or the courts. Most recently, he was defending his work in the much publicised defamation trial against Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts Smith. He's since written a book about the experience and has plenty of stories to share.

In this episode, James Valentine interviews Gina Chick, a high-profile Australian. They discuss Gina's extraordinary journey on the show Alone, her beliefs about death and animism, the chaotic nature of love, and the importance of being authentic and telling the truth. They also explore the paradox of connection and disconnection and the challenges of navigating genuine connection in a society that promotes oversharing.

Episode seven of the Beliefs Series introduces you to Amna K-Hassan. In 2009 Amna founded a womens Western Sydney AFL team, the Auburn Giants. Since then she's been inspiring western Sydney and Muslim women to make sport part of their lives.

In episode six you'll meet artist, filmmaker, and author, Shaun Tan. You might know Shaun from his novel, The Lost Thing. He joins James Valentine to talk about how his beliefs influence his dream-like art and describes it as having its own language.

In episode five you'll hear from a familiar Australian.You know her handwriting, her humour and her wit. Cathy Wilcox is best known as the cartoonist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers. Her drawings dispel complicated political agendas and hard news as she draws on what makes a story unique and funny. She's made you chuckle and she's made you enraged and she does this all with her cartoons.

Episode four of The Belief Series offers insights into the mind of one of the world's best Didgeridoo players, William Barton. He's played with Philharmonic Orchestras in Sydney, London, and Berlin. Episode four offers insights into the mind of one of the world's best Didgeridoo players, William Barton. He's played with Philharmonic Orchestras in Sydney, London, and Berlin.