When Grief Meets Glamour: The Daughters of Jayne Mansfield and Natalie Wood with Kate Casey

This week, I’m joined once again by the incomparable Kate Casey — a true force in the podcasting world and the brilliant mind behind Reality Life with Kate Casey. Kate has an uncanny ability to spot the heart of a story before the rest of us even know what we’re looking for, and today’s conversation is no exception.

We’re diving deep into two standout HBO Max documentaries: My Mom, Jayne, which explores the life and legacy of Jayne Mansfield through the eyes of her daughter, Mariska Hargitay, and Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind, a moving portrait of Natalie Wood created by her daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner.

These films aren’t just about fame, tragedy or the glittering veneer of old Hollywood. They’re about the private pain behind the public image — and what it means to grow up grieving a mother the world thought it knew. We talk about identity, loss, and the long shadow cast by unanswered questions and complicated legacies.

This is a layered, emotionally rich episode about grief, fame, motherhood and memory — the kind of conversation that stays with you.

Follow Kate on socials at @katecaseyca

Get her What To Watch Guide here: www.katecasey.substack.com

Follow the show at @jana.firestone and leave us a rating and review on iTunes and Spotify.

Watch this episode and others in full, on YouTube at The Curious Life Podcast.

Thank you as always to our production /audio engineer wiz, Sam Talbot - best in the biz!

Content warning: This episode discusses child abuse and may be distressing to some listeners. Please listen with care.

In this urgent episode, we’re joined by former Detective Senior Constable and child safety expert Kristi McVee, to unpack how we can better protect children in today’s world - at home, in care, and online.

Kristi spent over a decade in the WA Police Force as a Specialist Child Interviewer before founding Child Abuse Prevention & Education Australia (CAPE-AU). She’s also the author of Operation KidSafe, a powerful guide for families navigating child safety.

We discuss the devastating case of Joshua Dale Brown, a Melbourne childcare worker charged with over 70 offences involving the abuse of at least eight children — some as young as five months — across 20 centres between 2017 and 2025.

We cover:

- The system failures that allowed this abuse to continue unchecked.

- Sleepovers, school camps and other tough safety decisions.

- The risks of sharing children’s photos online.

- How Kristi’s background as a detective shapes her own parenting choices.

- Practical strategies every family can implement to keep kids safe.

This is a confronting but essential conversation about turning fear into informed, protective action. Kristi offers clear, practical tools that every parent, educator, and caregiver should hear.

Connect with Kristi on socials at @kristimcvee.

Buy her book Operation KidSafe: A Detective’s Guide to Child Abuse Prevention and go to her website Child Abuse Prevention & Education Australia (CAPE-AU) or www.kristimcvee.com

From the episode: 10 Body Safety Books Every Protective Parent Should Own

Connect with the show on socials at @jana.firestone and watch FULL video episodes on YouTube at The Curious Life Podcast.

Thank you to our wonderful engineer/producer Sam Talbot, as always!

Content warning: This episode contains discussion of death, grief, suicide, and suicidal ideation. Please listen mindfully.

In this special episode of The Curious Life Podcast, we are re-sharing a powerful conversation originally recorded for The Days That Follow (a grief recovery podcast).

Chris Walker is best known for his work behind the scenes of some of Australia’s most beloved television programs. But in this raw and moving interview, he opens up about the sudden death of his older brother, Adam, who died on Christmas Eve when Chris was just nine years old.

What follows is a deeply honest exploration of childhood grief, unspoken trauma, and the invisible weight of loss carried into adulthood. Chris reflects on the silence that surrounded his family’s tragedy, how grief resurfaced later in life, and the ways he’s worked to heal while building a meaningful life and career.

This episode is a tender, reflective reminder that even the most successful lives can hold private pain — and that healing often begins by breaking the silence.

Connect with Chris on socials at @chriswalkertv

Watch full interviews on YouTube: The Curious Life Podcast
Follow the show on Instagram: @jana.firestone

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This episode was audio engineered and produced by the brilliant Sam Talbot.