Big Small Talk

Everyone wants a village, but nobody wants to be a villager. It’s the phrase taking over the internet, and it raises a pretty uncomfortable question - have we become so obsessed with protecting our peace and setting boundaries that we’ve forgotten how to actually show up for our friends? This week, we’re joined by internationally recognised friendship expert, journalist and author of Modern Friendship, Anna Goldfarb, to unpack why adult friendships feel harder than ever. We talk the different types of friendship we should experience, what we should be expecting and how to not only make but maintain your best friends. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Elizabeth Holmes a bad person? Or is she a person who did bad things? We’re back for part two of our series on Elizabeth Holmes – the Silicon Valley darling-turned-fraudster who falsely promised that her company could run lab tests with just a single drop of blood. It’s 2014 and things are looking good for Elizabeth. Her company is valued at $9 billion. Magazines are making her out as a once-in-a-generation, world-saving genius. But the cracks are starting to show: Suspicions are rising. Former employees are starting to talk. And a Wall Street Journal reporter is on the case. Like what you heard? We recommend: Bad Blood by John Carreyrou The Dropout podcast (Spotify or Apple) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everyone is talking about Elizabeth Holmes. She’s the star of Nathan Fielder’s buzzy documentary, You Can See Everything. Consider this month’s Big Talk your pre-show guide – everything you need to know before you head to the movies. But hey, even if you have no interest in watching that film (even though it might be the first doco to win Best Picture at the Oscars EVER), we think you’ll still LOVE these two eps. Because the story of Elizabeth Holmes and her company, Theranos, is like a movie in itself. It’s wild, dramatic, and, at times, unbelievable. It’s about a 19-year-old who took on an industry with a ‘fake it ‘til’ you make it’ attitude, and gambled people’s lives in the process. In part one, we go back to the beginning: Elizabeth’s time at Stanford, Theranos’ meteoric rise, and… what was really going on behind closed doors. Like what you heard? We recommend: Bad Blood by John Carreyrou The Dropout podcast (Spotify or Apple) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello hello. Do we have an episode for you this week or what! First up, Hannah talks us through the latest allegations against Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Apparently, Dutch spies hacked his phone and he’s allegedly been receiving some LARGE sums of money from Middle Eastern leaders to influence foreign policy. But this isn’t the only scandal he’s caught up in… Then, Glee is returning! And Lea Michelle, Diana Agron, and Heather Morris are among the confirmed cast. Sarah revisits the highs and lows of the show that helped raise us, and asks: is this a good idea!? Plus: why people are protesting across France, the criminal allegations against Megan Markle’s dad, Brazil’s shock election results, and the latest on Helen Haines’ attack. Like what you hear? Let’s be friends! Big Small Talk Instagram Sarah-Jane’s Instagram Hannah’s Instagram This ep was produced by Sarah Jane Adams and Justine Landis-Hanley See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ashe is a huge US based singer-songwriter, a collaborator of FINNEAS (Billie Eilish’s brother and creative partner), and now the voice behind 'Stop the Wedding!', the viral song making women everywhere rethink what they should expect from love. And what if expecting more from our life and relationships wasn't cynical, but actually the most romantic and joyous thing we could do? After going through a divorce in her twenties, Ashe is now happily remarried, and has some beautiful wisdom to share about walking away, and how having big expectations for your life might just be a wonderful thing. Also, her new album is one of the best things I've listened to all year. Enjoy !!! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi everyone. This episode is coming amidst some tragic developing news: independent federal politician, Helen Haines, is in a critical condition after a man purposefully drove into her multiple times outside her office. Hannah shares what we know so far about the attack, and discusses the rise we have seen in threats towards female politicians. Note: since recording, the suspect, Brendan Nugent, has been publicly named. Latest reports also say that one of Ms Haines’ legs has been amputated. Then, Sarah explains why Sally Rooney’s support for Palestine is seeing her books pulled from UK shelves. The situation also raises some pretty uncomfortable questions about how Britain's terrorism laws are being applied. Plus: how Trump’s press secretary, Katie Zacharia, lost her job in just five days, the GIRLS reboot, the allegations against Greens senator Jordon Steele-John, and the shock appearances at the Victoria Secret Runway Show. Like what you hear? Let’s be friends! Big Small Talk Instagram Sarah-Jane’s Instagram Hannah’s Instagram This ep was produced by Sarah Jane Adams and Justine Landis-Hanley See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is our obsession with being nice is actually part of the problem? This week on Small Talk, I'm joined by one of Australia's most respected political journalists and authors, Amy Remeikis, to unpack why playing nice might be getting us absolutely nowhere. Amy is the Chief Political Analyst at The Australia Institute, a contributing editor at The New Daily and is known online as Pyjama Politics. Amy is able to make the complicated world of politics accessible without losing any of its nuance. And her latest book, Screw Nice, makes a compelling case for why it's time to rethink our relationship with politeness. We talk about why women are conditioned to be agreeable, the difference between being nice and being kind, and why the people causing the most outrage seem to face the fewest consequences. Big Small Talk Instagram Sarah-Jane’s Instagram This ep was produced by Sarah Jane Adams See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello hello! If you had any doubt before, you can now say for certain that we are living in a dystopian hellhole because the U.S. has announced it will livestream the execution of a prisoner on death row. Hannah talks about how this announcement, and the recent failed execution of Christa Pike, has sparked universal outrage from all sides of politics. Then, Sarah explains why Olivia Dean is being sued for allegedly copying Bill Withers’ classic hit ‘Just the Two of Us’. And the whole debacle has us asking – is it possible for anything in music, fashion or art to feel original these days? Plus, the Coalition’s migration promise, the Greens’ public supermarket proposal, Mia Goth and Shia Le Bouf’s divorce, One Nation’s racist AI-generated campaign ad, and why actress Selma Blair was arrested at JFK airport. Send in a question for us to answer next ep HERE on the SpeakPipe. Like what you hear? Let’s be friends! Big Small Talk Instagram Sarah-Jane’s Instagram Hannah’s Instagram This ep was produced by Sarah Jane Adams and Justine Landis-Hanley See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We spend years learning about our bodies through trial and error because no one ever really taught us how our hormones work. Model, founder of Selfdom and creator of the bestselling gratitude journals, Dominique Elissa returns to the pod this week to discuss her new journal 'Flow State' and why understanding your hormones has completely changed the way she lives. From the four phases of the menstrual cycle and learning to work with your body instead of against it, to her fertility journey and now expecting her first baby, Dominique has an honest conversation about reconnecting with your body See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prosecutors have reopened an investigation into an alleged rape at Cornell University after public outrage and mounting questions over how the case was handled. Then, the New York Times has decided the best TV shows of the 21st century and naturally, we have thoughts.Back home, the Greens have a new leader, but the result has exposed some pretty major divisions within the party. Plus, has the internet officially changed its mind on Pete Davidson? He’s opening up about his famous exes, his confrontations with Kanye West and why he has an issue with female content creators. And former Bachelor star Sam Wood has been charged with domestic violence offences.Then in our Q+A: Megan Fox’s Letterboxd four. Yes, we’re judging. Big Small Talk Instagram Sarah-Jane’s Instagram Hannah’s Instagram This ep was produced by Sarah Jane Adams and Justine Landis-Hanley See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles on in studio with us? Consider this Sarah’s pinch-me moment. The girls join us to talk about their new film, Sense and Sensibility, which by the way, is perfect cinema. You’ll know Daisy of course from the cult classic, Normal People, as well as Where the Crawdads Sing, Fresh and Twisters, and Esmé from Hanna, The Doll Factory and Silver Haze. Together we're talking Jane Austen, big sister energy and why a story written more than 200 years ago still understands our dating lives so well. From sibling-order theory and family dynamics to a bestie dating an absolute flop and an ex wanting a second chance, we get into the advice we all need through the eyes of Elinor and Marianne. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to Big Talk! It’s the political scandal so infamous that, 50 years later, we’re still adding “gate” to the end of every controversy. But Watergate didn’t begin with a break-in. In Part One, we’re going back to Richard Nixon’s rise to power, the lies America was told about the Vietnam War, the explosive leak of the Pentagon Papers, and the increasingly secretive White House determined to stop its secrets getting out. This is how we got to Watergate. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richard Nixon wins re-election in one of the biggest landslides in American history. Less than two years later, he becomes the first and only U.S. president to resign. So, how did it all fall apart? In Part Two, we get into Nixon’s growing paranoia, the creation of CREEP, the increasingly unhinged schemes of the people around him, and the break-in at the Watergate complex that started the unraveling. We take you inside what actually happened that night, before following the investigation, the secret White House tapes and the cover-up that ultimately reached all the way to the President. This is the break-in, the cover-up and the bitter end of Richard Nixon’s presidency. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AUDIENCE SURVEY LINK HERE!!!! THANK YOU ILY: https://forms.gle/dc9iXh7BEwntMuiW9 On the show this week, OpenAI hacked a Medicare portal months ago, and we’re only just hearing about it now. So… how did that happen? Then, Taylor Swift has released new music. Of course, she’s the biggest pop star in the world, so we HAVE to deep it, but if you’re not in the mood to psychoanalyse Taylor with us, you can always skip ahead. Plus, looksmaxxing influencer Braden Peters, otherwise known as Clavicular, has been charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl. We then unpack everything that went down at the VMAs, Anthony Albanese getting a Trump selfie in New York, and Susan Sarandon and Hacks star Hannah Einbinder are arrested while protesting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Big Small Talk Instagram Sarah-Jane's Instagram Hannah's Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Sarah sits down with renowned human rights and media lawyer Jen Robinson, whose career has taken her from Julian Assange’s legal team and the Murdoch phone-hacking scandal to representing Amber Heard. Jen unpacks how defamation laws can be weaponised to silence women, survivors and journalists, and the enormous legal and financial risk that can come with telling your story. We also get into the rise of trial by TikTok: how viral clips, algorithms and bot campaigns can distort high-profile court cases, what Jen witnessed during the Depp v Heard saga, and why we should be far more sceptical of what lands on our feeds. Plus, the global fight at the centre of Jen’s documentary Silenced, and what needs to change to protect the right to speak. Silenced Film Instagram Jen Robinsons Instagram Sarah-Jane's Instagram Big Small Talk's Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey BSTies! On the show this week – anti-abortion activist Dr Joanna Howe and her husband James have come under fire after he said that he doesn’t “do consent”. Then, the girls unpack Lena Dunham’s announcement that she has become a mum via surrogacy. Is it ever okay to pay someone to carry your child? Plus – Labor and One Nation announce migration crackdowns, Channing Tatum allegedly has a burner account (!?), the latest on Macklemore and Ed Sheeran, and how to hold on to hope with the UN General Assembly’s Be Hope campaign. AUDIENCE SURVEY LINK HERE!!!! THANK YOU ILY: https://forms.gle/dc9iXh7BEwntMuiW9 Big Small Talk Instagram Sarah-Jane's Instagram Hannah's Instagram This ep was produced by Sarah Jane Adams and Justine Landis-Hanley See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The beauty industry is worth more than $450 billion globally. So what actually makes us buy one product over another? Sarah sits down with Natassia Nicolao, founder and CEO of Conserving Beauty, to unpack what it really takes to build a beauty brand in an industry obsessed with virality, celebrity launches, dupes and the next “must-have” product. From creating the world’s first dissolving makeup wipe to getting stocked in MECCA, Natassia reveals how science and sustainability became her competitive edge, why 12-year-olds are suddenly using actives, and just how much of a product’s success comes down to clever marketing or genuine innovation. Plus, she takes us behind the scenes of building a business from scratch, the education that helped her get there, and what she’s learned about taking the leap before you feel completely ready. This episode is brought to you by Deakin University. Big Small Talk Instagram Sarah-Jane's Instagram Hannah's Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Donald Trump is promising every American adult $5,000 if Republicans win the midterms - yes, really. Then, NFL star Aaron Rodgers has opened up about his breakup with actress Shailene Woodley and revealed the wild request she made before they got married, which has somehow only made the internet like her more. We’re also getting into a former Anthropic employee who quit because he believes AI could help kill humanity, and what the people leading these companies are saying about that risk. Plus, Macklemore was asked to leave Ed Sheeran’s tour after saying “Free Palestine” on stage, and somehow Pink is involved too. And finally, unfortunately, we have another Sydney Sweeney ad to talk about! This time however, the backlash is coming from some of the biggest names in women’s sport. Big Small Talk Instagram Sarah-Jane's Instagram Hannah's Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the first time in almost three years, your Tuesday episode is running a day late! A perfect storm of sickness, international travel and terrible timing has thrown us slightly off course — so Sarah is jumping into your feeds with a tiny update. The good news: we’ll be back TOMORROW (Wednesday) at 5pm with a VERY big Big Small Talk. And trust us, there is a lot to talk about this week. Thanks for bearing with us xx Big Small Talk Instagram Sarah-Jane's Instagram Hannah's Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our friend Chanel Contos is on the podcast, and she’s casually changing Australia again! Chanel is the activist behind Teach Us Consent, the campaign that helped change consent education in Australian schools. Now, she’s coming for our algorithms with Fix Our Feeds - which, huge news, just got the green light from the Australian Government this week. We recorded this chat before that happened, on the eve of Chanel’s National Press Club address. We talk about what it was actually like becoming the face of the consent movement. Then of course, we discuss how algorithms have impacted dating in 2026. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.