No Filter

What is life really like inside one of the most famous in American pop culture?
In this episode of No Filter, Kate Langbroek sits down with Faith Ward, an Australian–New Zealand dancer who went from thinking an unexpected message was a scam to becoming a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
Faith takes us behind the uniform to talk candidly about what it actually takes to make it — and stay — inside the world’s most recognisable cheer squad. From the brutal audition process and constant scrutiny, to discipline, image control, and the realities of pay, Faith shares what the public rarely sees.
We talk ponytails, pressure, pay rises, and perfection — the details that reveal how much is demanded of the women who wear the uniform, and what it costs to belong to such a powerful global brand.
This is a behind-the-curtain conversation about ambition, sacrifice, identity and what happens when the glamour meets the reality.
CREDITS:
Guest: Faith Ward
Host: Kate Langbroek
Group Executive Producer: Naima Brown
Executive Producer: Bree Player
Additional Production: Coco Lavigne

Audio Producer: Jacob Round
Video Producer: Josh Green
Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For more than a decade, Kate Seselja lived a double life.
Outwardly, she was a well-spoken suburban mum raising six children. Privately, she was trapped in a devastating poker machine addiction that would cost her more than $500,000, push her family into overwhelming debt, and bring her to the brink of suicide.
In this deeply confronting episode, Kate takes us back to the years when gambling consumed her life — the highs of winning, the crushing shame of losing, the secrecy, and the relentless hope that the next spin would fix everything. She reflects on how poker machines are designed to hijack the brain, why addiction thrives in silence, and how stigma keeps people trapped for far too long.
Kate also speaks candidly about her rock-bottom moment while pregnant with her sixth child, what stopped her from ending her life, and the long road to recovery that followed. Now an advocate and founder of The Hope Project, she dedicates her life to helping others understand gambling harm as a public health issue and not a personal failure.
This episode is a powerful reminder that gambling addiction doesn’t look the way we expect it to and that it can happen to anyone.
If this episode brings up anything for you, support is available. You can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Kate Seselja, along with at GHLEE (Gambling Harm Lived Experience Experts) are calling for each state and territory to enforce loss limits on poker machines of $100 per day, $500 per month, and $5000 per year. This simple act will literally save lives. You can find out more information and sign their petition here.
CREDITS:
Guest: Kate Seselja
Host: Kate Langbroek
Group Executive Producer: Naima Brown
Executive Producer: Bree Player
Audio Producer: Jacob Round
Video Producer: Josh Green
Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Angie Kent first joined No Filter back in 2019, she was fresh off The Bachelorette, newly in love, and stepping into a very public chapter of her life. A lot has changed since then.
In this episode, Angie returns with Kate Langbroek for an honest, deeply reflective conversation about what it means to choose a life that feels right, even when it doesn’t look the way you once imagined.
Angie opens up about her decision to become a solo mum by choice, sharing her IVF journey, the public reaction (both supportive and critical), and the internal certainty that led her here. She reflects on her search for love, the pressure women still face around partnership and timelines, and why companionship now matters more than financial stability, especially when so many women are finding men aren’t meeting them where they are.
This is a conversation about autonomy, motherhood, healing, and unlearning the scripts we’re handed. About trusting your instincts. About choosing yourself. And about what it really means to say, “I am the right person.”
THE END BITS:
Listen to more No Filter interviews here and follow us on Instagram here.
Discover more Mamamia podcasts here.
Feedback: [email protected]
Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP.
Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review.
CREDITS:
Guest: Angie Kent
Host: Kate Langbroek
Group Executive Producer: Naima Brown
Executive Producer: Bree Player
Audio Producer: Jacob Round
Video Producer: Josh Green
Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jonathan Van Ness is one of the most recognisable and beloved figures in pop culture today - but in this conversation, they open up about the chapters of their life few people truly understand.
Jonathan speaks candidly about addiction, relapse, sex addiction, and living with HIV, including the moment they realised contracting HIV ultimately saved their life by forcing them to confront a dangerous relationship with meth. With extraordinary honesty, Jonathan reflects on survival, recovery, shame, joy, and what it really means to heal.
We also talk about identity, coming out as non-binary, people-pleasing, impulse behaviour, and why healing isn’t a destination — it’s a lifelong practice. Alongside the heavy moments, Jonathan brings humour, warmth and deep compassion, sharing how movement, group fitness, love, and chosen family helped them rebuild a life they want to stay in.
This is a powerful, vulnerable and deeply human conversation about staying alive, finding joy after trauma, and learning how to come home to yourself.
For information about Jonathan's upcoming Hot and Healed Tour head here.
THE END BITS:
Listen to more No Filter interviews here and follow us on Instagram here.
Discover more Mamamia podcasts here.
Feedback: [email protected]
Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP.
Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review.
We’re giving away a Your Reformer Pilates bed (worth $3,400) Subscribe to enter.
CREDITS:
Guest: Jonathan Van Ness
Host: Naima Brown
Executive Producer: Bree Player
Audio Producer: Tina Matalov
Video Producer: Josh Green
Recorded with Session in Progress studios.
Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a world of New Year, New Me promises, Celeste Barber has built a career on doing the opposite. She keeps it real—big knickers, unflattering angles, and a refusal to pretend life is anything other than messy.
Celeste built a global following by parodying celebrity perfection and making millions of people laugh on Instagram. But in this episode of No Filter, she steps away from the selfies and punchlines to talk about the parts of her life the internet rarely sees.
In this candid conversation with Kate Langbroek, Celeste opens up about the chaos of her childhood, her ADHD diagnosis, the burnout that nearly broke her, and the pressure of being the internet’s favourite funny woman. She talks honestly about her marriage to ‘Hot Husband’ Api, what it’s like raising kids under public scrutiny, and the work she’s done to decide which parts of her life stay private.
She reflects on what fame has given her, what it’s taken, and why resisting the urge to constantly “fix” herself has become an act of self-preservation.
Yes, she’s hilarious. But she’s also thoughtful, vulnerable, and still figuring it out—one small, imperfect win at a time.
This is the real Celeste Barber, beyond the selfies, the knickers, and the punchlines.
You can follow Celeste Barber and find tickets to her upcoming Australian regional tour Backup Dancer here.
THE END BITS:
Listen to more No Filter interviews here and follow us on Instagram here.
Discover more Mamamia podcasts here.
Feedback: [email protected]
Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP.
Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review.
CREDITS:
Guests: Celeste Barber
Host: Kate Langbroek
Executive Producer: Naima Brown
Senior Producer: Bree Player
Audio Producer: Jacob Round
The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the speakers and do not constitute medical advice. Any references to medications, including Ozempic, are made in the context of cultural commentary only. This podcast does not endorse, promote, or recommend any prescription medicines or treatments. For personalised medical advice, please consult your healthcare professional.

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.