No Filter

For 15 years, Lainey Wilson chased a dream that didn’t seem to want her back.
She was rejected. Overlooked. Living in a camper trailer in Nashville while the industry moved on without her.
Now she’s one of country music’s biggest stars.
In this episode of No Filter, Lainey reflects on the decade-and-a-half grind behind her so-called “overnight success” from auditioning for Idol and The Voice, to impersonating Hannah Montana for five years, to going viral in a way she never expected.
She talks about faith, exhaustion, ambition, meeting Miley Cyrus after years of portraying her on stage, and the advice from Keith Urban that reframed everything.
It’s a story about stubborn belief and what happens when you refuse to quit.
You can find Lainey’s latest music, tour dates and more at laineywilson.com
CREDITS:
Guest: Lainey Wilson
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.

In the 1990s, Rachel Hunter was one of the most recognisable women in the world.
A Sports Illustrated cover star and defining face of the supermodel era, she went from a teenager in New Zealand to global fame almost overnight. She later married Rod Stewart, becoming part of one of the decade’s most talked-about love stories.
From the outside, it looked like the ultimate 90s fairytale.
In this episode of No Filter, Rachel reflects on rising to fame at 17, her whirlwind marriage to Rod Stewart, and what it was really like to live inside that cultural moment.
After recently appearing on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, she speaks candidly about motherhood, public scrutiny, and why the life everyone envied eventually wasn’t enough.
This is a conversation about identity, reinvention, and finding yourself beyond the spotlight.
CREDITS:
Guest: Rachel Hunter
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.

When Michelle Burgess’ young son Leo became unwell while their family was on holiday in Tasmania, it initially seemed like a virus — something that would pass with rest and time. But within days, Leo lost the ability to move his body, was transferred between hospitals across two states, and was eventually placed into an induced coma while doctors tried to understand what was happening.
Leo was later diagnosed with GFAP astrocytopathy — an extremely rare autoimmune neurological condition that causes inflammation in the brain and spinal cord. What followed was months in hospital, intensive treatment, and the beginning of a recovery that is still ongoing.
In this deeply personal conversation, Michelle takes Kate Langbroek inside the terrifying early days of Leo’s illness — from the moment she realised something was wrong, to the long weeks spent sitting beside his hospital bed in intensive care, unsure whether he would survive. She shares what it means to advocate for your child when there are no clear answers, how she coped with fear and exhaustion, and the extraordinary resilience Leo showed as he slowly began to recover.
It’s an experience Kate understands in a profoundly personal way. When her eldest son was a child, he was diagnosed with leukaemia — an illness he survived — and she recognises the unique fear that comes when a parent is forced to watch their child fight for their life.
This episode is about motherhood, uncertainty, and the kind of love that refuses to give up — even when the future is impossible to imagine.
Michelle and Leo are sharing their story in support of the Starlight Super Swim which aims to raise $4.3 million to bring happiness to more than 110,000 sick kids in hospital. You can donate via superswim.au/NoFilter
If you find yourself needing to talk to someone after listening to this episode please call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
CREDITS:
Guest: Michelle Burgess
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.

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.