In this episode, we talk to TV and food personality Melissa Leong, the subject of the cover story in Sunday Life's September 28 issue.

Leong has worn many hats: talented pianist, advertising executive, food writer and even UFC broadcast host. But it’s the three years she spent as a judge on MasterChef Australia that made her a household name, and also put her under the spotlight.

In this interview with Sunday Life associate editor Melissa Singer, Leong talks about her formative years and food memories, and why she’s revealing the darkest chapter of her life.

You can read the Sunday Life piece here.

And a heads-up, this episode contains some strong language, and discussions about assault and sexual assault. If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we talk to Stephanie Lake.

The former dancer turned choreographer is the artistic director of Stephanie Lake Company, and also the resident choreographer for The Australian Ballet.

She’s the winner of many awards, including the Helpmann, and while her rise was stratospheric, it wasn’t always linear.

It was also somewhat delayed: Lake was a late bloomer in her chosen field, dancing in her teenage years only as a hobby.

Her life story starts in Canada, before taking a turn south to Tasmania, and now Melbourne.

Hosting this conversation – about a journey rich in resilience, creativity and balance – is Good Weekend senior writer Konrad Marshall.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we talk to Ken Done. The legendary Australian artist has been splashing colour across canvases for more than four decades, from instantly recognisable depictions of Sydney Harbour to vibrant doona covers and T-shirts. Today he talks about his "Mad Men" days in advertising, the critics and characters that defined his career – as well as the “real reason" he wanted to go to art school – with The Sydney Morning Herald arts editor Nick Galvin.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we talk to Elizabeth Gilbert. Her memoir – Eat Pray Love – sold millions, became a hit movie starring Julia Roberts and encouraged readers to embark on their own spiritual journeys. But for the author, it was the death of her new partner many years later that actually helped her find what she was looking for. That’s all detailed in excruciating fashion in her latest book – All The Way to the River – a difficult and confessional memoir about addiction and loss. Gilbert is the subject of Good Weekend's cover story this week – "Love Addict" – and this podcast is an edited extract of the interview she did for that piece with freelance journalist David Leser.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we talk to Cate Campbell. Australian Dolphin number 665 debuted at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 at the tender age of 16. The teenager won two bronze medals at those games, and that was only the beginning. In her 16-year career in the pool, Campbell won eight Olympic medals – four of them gold – and breaking seven world records (her record for the 100-metre short-course freestyle still stands). The 33-year-old retired last year, and has since gone on to explore new fields including commentary and coaching – as well as opening up in a very brave and vulnerable way about the loneliness and depression she dealt with throughout her career. Now a mental health campaigner, Campbell is currently learning how to man the phones as a Lifeline crisis counsellor. She speaks to Good Weekend senior writer Konrad Marshall.
Lifeline: 13 11 14

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we talk to Andy Griffiths. The children’s author has written 40 books, including The Day My Bum Went Psycho, and the wildly popular Treehouse series. Griffiths has been published in more than 35 countries, and sold an astonishing 13 million copies in Australia and New Zealand alone. He’s led an interesting life, too. He wanted to be a frontman in a punk band, but ended up as a schoolteacher. He’s serious about fitness – a former obsessive runner who now loves the gym, flexing wiry muscles that are covered in sticker tattoos. His latest book – You And Me And The Peanut Butter Beast – is out now. Hosting this conversation about the “fusion of hilarity and horror” that inspired Griffiths, and the “sacred moment” when he meets his young readers – is Good Weekend senior writer Konrad Marshall.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we talk to Tracey Holmes. The TV trailblazer has spent more than three decades covering Australian sport and dissecting some of the biggest sporting events on the planet, bearing witness to the rise and rise of women's sport, which has had to bust through the walls of misogyny and male chauvinism. Her new book, The Eye of the Dragonfly is part memoir, part sporting manifesto, and details her nomadic childhood as the offspring of surfer parents, her start in television, her amusing first meeting with partner and fellow TV journalist Stan Grant, and how racism towards their relationship briefly unbuckled their careers. Holmes, a natural raconteur, describes her meetings and interviews with sporting giants like Pele and Cathy Freeman, and how her trademark calm has helped get her through some challenging moments. Hosting this conversation is deputy editor Greg Callaghan.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we talk to AFLW star Libby Birch. She's done something no other female or male player has done - winning three premierships at three different clubs, with the Western Bulldogs, the Melbourne Demons and the North Melbourne Kangaroos. Since joining the league in its inaugural season, Birch has also played 91 consecutive games of AFLW (only two women have played more), and at just 27 has more than a few years left. She's a media performer of note, bringing sharp analysis to a TV special comments role, as a radio pundit for 3AW, and as a columnist for The Age - not to mention a buoyant voice on our own Real Footy podcast. If that weren’t enough, Birch has also become a published author, just releasing “Libby’s Footy Adventures” - the first ever children’s book by an AFLW player. Hosting this conversation is Good Weekend senior writer Konrad Marshall.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.