No Filter

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:
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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.

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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.

When it's just Jess and David, everything is fabulous. But in public, Jess feels like a secret. David doesn't post photos of them, he hasn't introduced her to his family, and she barely knows his friends. Jess is left feeling like a "side piece," good enough for him, but not for his image.
In this session, a couple confronts the painful gap between their private connection and their public life. They’re facing different definitions of what constitutes cheating, a history of trust issues, and the raw feeling of being ashamed by the person you love.
Listen to the second part of Jess & David's session here
Resources (Australia-only)
1800RESPECT: The national domestic, family, and sexual violence counselling, information, and support service.
Beyond Blue: For support with anxiety, depression, and suicide prevention.
Lifeline Australia: For 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention services.
Motivated Minds: Learn more about host Sarah Bays’ practice.
Relationships Australia: A leading provider of relationship support services for individuals, families, and communities.
The End Bits
Want To Be On This Is Why We Fight? Apply here.
Host: Sarah Bays
Executive Producer: Naima Brown
Studio Engineer: Lu Hill
Audio production: Thom Lion and Jacob Round
Production support: Leah Porges and Coco Lavigne
Follow This Is Why We Fight on Instagram for sneak peeks and more relationship therapy content
Explore all Mamamia’s podcasts here.
Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

By the time you’re listening to this, Tanya Hennessy will have welcomed her baby girl. So this conversation now lands in a very different chapter of her life.
Tanya has never shied away from letting us into her world. Behind the jokes and the videos that rack up millions of views, she has been open about living with endometriosis, navigating fertility treatment, and the long stretch of heartbreak that came with desperately wanting a baby.
In this episode of No Filter, Tanya sits down with Kate Langbroek to talk about the road that led her here. She reflects on the years of uncertainty, the emotional toll of trying to conceive, and what it was like to finally reach a moment she once worried might never come.
In this conversation, you’ll hear about:
Living publicly through infertility and endometriosis

The fear, hope and vulnerability that shaped Tanya’s fertility journey

What it meant to finally share her pregnancy after so many setbacks

How humour helped her survive some of the hardest years of her life

Funny, emotional and deeply honest, this is Tanya Hennessy in full voice—open, unfiltered, and profoundly human.
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: Tanya Hennessy
Host: Kate Langbroek
Executive Producer: Naima Brown
Senior Producer: Bree Player
Audio Producer: Jacob Round
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.

She’s about to take centre stage at the Sydney New Year’s Eve countdown on the harbour, but before that, here is Melanie Chisholm (aka Mel C) for her most open conversation yet.
You know the name—Sporty Spice. But before the world tours, the crop tops and the legacy of Girl Power, Melanie was just a 20-year-old answering a flyer to audition for a girl band. In this episode of No Filter, Kate Langbroek speaks with Melanie in a rare, full-length conversation that goes far beyond the headlines and the pop mythology.
Melanie reflects on the real story behind the Spice Girls, what it was like to rise to global fame almost overnight, and the personal cost that came with it.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
The dizzying highs and private heartbreaks of being in one of the biggest girl bands of all time

How sudden fame shaped Melanie’s mental health and sense of self

The bond she still shares with her Spice sisters today

Why she’s finally made peace with that chapter of her life

Honest, grounded and deeply reflective, this is Melanie Chisholm as you’ve never heard her before.
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:

Host: Kate Langbroek
Guest: Melanie Chisholm
Executive Producer: Naima Brown
Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray
Audio Producer: Jacob Round

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.