Life Matters - Full program podcast

Everywhere you look, there are messages about how to optimise your life — whether it's your looks, your health, your morning routine, even your personality. But what happens when all that maxxing leaves you feeling maxxed out? Jack Waters shares what he learned from heading down a "relentless path of self-optimisation", while social scientist Jose Yong explains how it can lead to a life of monotony.
Europe has endured one of the worst fire seasons in modern history, burning through more than 600,000 hectares over summer. With a Super El Nino predicted to sweep across Australia, it could be a tough season here as well. Community resilience advocate Jean Renouf and professor of pyrogeography David Bowman explain how working together with the people in your neighbourhood can be the key to survival. 
A recent study from RMIT University found 72 per cent of women were wearing shoe sizes that didn't match the actual length of their feet. Researcher Carol Tan and shoemaker Darren Bischoff explain what makes it so hard to find the right fit.

There's been strong growth in the number of supermarket-owned products on our shelves. In the last financial year, Coles' private label sales grew by more than 6 per cent, while Woolworths increased by 5.5 per cent. Consumer behaviour expert Gary Mortimer and Gippsland Jersey cofounder Sallie Jones explain what it means for the prices you pay at the checkout.
In years gone by, psychedelics like MDMA and psylocibin were seen as experimental party drugs. But that narrative has shifted. Investigative journalist Rich Haridy has been watching this previously taboo field come out of the shadows and into mainstream culture in recent years. His new book explores the line between hype and hope. 
We're three quarters of the way through 2026, and you might need a spring clean for those new year’s resolutions languishing on your to-do list. The end of the year still seems so far away, and you can't really start taking the foot off the gas just yet. So when you hit the September slump, how do you get yourself out of it?

Vinted has landed in Australia — the latest in an explosion of online platforms dedicated to reselling pre-loved clothing. At the same time, the original op shopping experience is changing, with US giant Savers expanding in Australia. Avid secondhand shopper Hannah Klose joins sustainability advocate Ainsley Simpson and Red Cross retail boss Richard Wood to explore what this all means for the future of op shops.
Usually, if you're going out to watch a band, a comedy gig, or theatre production, the thing getting you out the door is be the act itself. But a recent study shows that the identity of a venue itself can be a strong driver. Researcher Lenny Vance and  DarkLab's Kimberley Galceran explore why those special venues can make all the difference.
Data from the UK shows the number of people who dabble in open water swimming has doubled since 2016, largely driven by women. Sue Thornton from the New Granny Grommets and researcher Rebecca Olive discuss the joys of swimming, surfing, and paddling in the great outdoors.

Australian author Alice Pung penned her seminal memoir Unpolished Gem two decades ago, which she started writing age 19. Even as a teenager Alice had lived a full life, and the story of how her parents, grandmother and aunt travelled by foot through three countries to seek resettlement as refugees in Melbourne, has become a modern Australian classic. Such is the power of memoir, and in this episode we unpack the memoirs that have helped people better understand themselves and the world around them through another person’s story. Vote now in the Radio National Top 100 Australian books countdown here. 
If your mum raised you in the thick of diet culture, you’ve probably had some body image lessons to unpick from that era. And when you have to play more of an active role in helping mum manage her health as she ages, you know you can always ask aunties Jane Caro and Diana Nguyen to help navigate this tricky terrain.

Fresh off the release of her much-anticipated sequel Big Little Truths, beloved Australian author Liane Moriarty reflects on her career as a writer, the relationships and life experiences that have inspired her fictional worlds, and the secret to staying true to her own voice. As an author whose characters have been brought to life on screen by the likes of Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon, it's no mean feat.
Have you been dazzled by the bright headlights of other vehicles while driving at night? A recent inquest into the death of veteran BBC broadcaster Jenni Murray heard that dazzling headlights were a factor in her fatal crash. It's an issue that's causing concern for drivers around the world. Road safety specialist David Beck and motoring journalist John Cadogan explore what can be done.
As you're whittling down your shortlist for Radio National's Top 100 Australian Books countdown, you might be digging deep into the memory box for inspiration. Parenting author and educator Maggie Dent shares the classic Australian children's book that deserves top spot in her list — despite the messy lamington kitchen adventures it inspired.
When news broke of Dolly Parton’s death last week, the outpouring of grief came from across the political spectrum, from all genres of music, and communities all over the world. She achieved fame in an era where celebrity was built through mass media, but that landscape doesn't exist in the same way anymore. So could our culture, in its hyper-fragmented form, ever produce another figure so universally loved?