Compiled by Tess Connery and Grace Gollasch
Introducing listeners to The Minds Changing Lives with Shahni Wellington
From the need for speech therapy in our regional areas to hydrogen-powered cars, there’s a new podcast that has it all. In a partnership between LiSTNR and the University of Newcastle (UON), The Minds Changing Lives podcast showcases the people who are pioneering change.
Podcast Week’s Tess Connery spoke to University of Newcastle communications specialist and The Minds Changing Lives host Shahni Wellington about uncovering new research and proving that university is a place for everyone.
The Minds Changing Lives came to be as a way to get the word out about all of the stories coming out of UON’s research, and to dig a bit deeper into the practical applications of the research.
“We’ve got so much cool research coming through,” says Wellington. “What we’ve done is create a website called Hippocampus, which gives us a platform to tell those stories in a longer form, and have people be able to learn about that research – the podcast is an extension of that.
“We’re able to hear from real people. We’re doing things like creating needle-free diabetes testing, and this podcast allows us to talk to people who actually will be using that technology.”
Shahni Wellington
With so much research to choose from, Wellington says that the team will consider both the storytelling component and the impact that a particular piece of research could have on people’s lives.
“There is a lot to choose from! We’re using the research that we’ve identified as really exciting, groundbreaking stuff. There’s no particular research field – the content ranges from the effects of concussion and head injury, to things that are going on in the criminology space. It’s a really wide range.
“The way that they pick what to cover is to identify the things that are really going to have a real-life impact, and that more people should know about – and will know about – in the coming years. We’re just trying to get ahead of that.”
With The Minds Changing Lives out into the big wide world, Wellington says that she hopes people are able to learn a thing or two from the podcast.
“Researchers and universities are really paving the way for the future, but sometimes between all of those words and theses and stuff like that, it can get lost. I really hope that this allows people to tag into the big, scary world of university and see that research is for everyone.
“This is the place where the magic happens, and people are going to be able to come with me as I talk to researchers, and talk to real people that are going to feel the benefits.”
That idea of inclusivity is particularly important to Wellington, who says that a big part of The Minds Changing Lives is proving that anybody can take the plunge at university if that’s what they want.
“Hopefully, any young people that are coming here can listen to this and realise that there’s a place for them inside the university. As an Aboriginal woman, historically, these institutions weren’t made for people like me, and I’m hoping that this podcast will be able to make people understand that this is accessible. There’s a place for you here, and you’re welcome to take part in these discussions and be in this space.”
[Listen to The Minds Changing Lives here]
Casefile Presents and Spotify release new true crime podcast, Matty
Casefile Presents has released Casefile Presents: Matty, a new true crime podcast exclusively on Spotify.
Narrated by Loren O’Keeffe, founder of the Missing Persons Advocacy Network (MPAN) and written by Vikki Petraitis, Casefile Presents: Matty, examines the death of Sydney-born Matthew Leveson, 15 years on from the national tragedy.
In September 2007, when then 20-year-old Matthew Levenson went missing, suspicion fell on his older partner, Michael Atkins. Following a series of unprecedented events that sprawled over the subsequent decade — a murder acquittal, a coronial inquest and an historic deal to grant his boyfriend Michael Atkins immunity from prosecution, his body was found in Royal National Park in May 2017.
This new 10-part series will document the struggle of Matty’s parents, Mark and Faye, to find his body and bring him home.
[Listen to Casefile Presents: Matty here]
Finder’s Two Broke Chicks returns for a third season
Finder has announced that its podcast series Two Broke Chicks is back for season three.
The podcast shares life lessons for the gals, from the gals and is hosted by journalists Sally McMullen and Alex Hourigan.
In less than a year, the show has increased its listenership by over 700% between the first two seasons, been crowned New & Noteworthy on Apple Podcasts and landed a spot in the top 5 of the Society & Culture charts on Spotify. This season, the 20-something podcasters will continue to drop two episodes every week.
As well as their regular full-length episodes on Tuesdays, the duo will drop a mini-episode every Thursday. This includes “Add To Cart”, where the girls quiz their guests on their fashion faves, beauty recs and savvy shopping tips.
[Listen to Two Broke Chicks here]
Carer Conversations launches to support unpaid carers in leadup to National Carers Week
Australian charity The Benevolent Society, in association with Carer Gateway, has launched Carer Conversations, a new podcast that provides tips and resources to help unpaid carers look after their emotional, mental and physical wellbeing.
Host and qualified counsellor and coach for Carer Gateway at The Benevolent Society Patty Kikos, says the podcast is a great resource for anyone caring for a family member or friend who has a disability, a medical condition, mental illness or someone who is frail due to age, particularly in the leadup to National Carers Week (October 16-22).
“It can be easy for carers to put the needs of the person they’re supporting ahead of their own, which may lead to burn out, feelings of isolation and other issues,” says Kikos. “Our mission with this podcast is to provide information, resources and inspiration to empower carers who invest so much time and energy in their caring role.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there are approximately 2.7 million carers in Australia. Carer Gateway is the Australian Government’s free national carer support service with providers across Australia, including The Benevolent Society which supports Metropolitan Sydney [excluding South Western Sydney and Nepean].
[Listen to Carer Conversations here]
One Minute Remaining shares conversations of American inmates
Jack Laurence has spent the last fourteen years working in the radio industry, but one month ago decided to quit his secure weekly wage to speak with inmates across America
for his new podcast, One Minute Remaining.
In this series, Laurence speaks with several different inmates all serving lengthy prison sentences for some very serious crimes.
This season, Laurence talks to Dorice Moore, the lady convicted for the murder of lottery winner Abraham Shakespeare, a crime she has always maintained she is innocent of. Emilia Carr, once the youngest woman on death row in Florida now serving two life sentences for murder and kidnapping, and David Talley a man once addicted to drugs who made the decision to run from the police while on bail for robbery and was eventually sentenced to one hundred years without the possibility of parole.
[Listen to One Minute Remaining here]
Drive and 9Podcasts partner to release the Drive Motoring News podcast
The team behind Drive have joined forces with 9Podcasts to launch the brand new Drive Motoring News podcast.
Every week, motoring journalist Trent Nikolic will be joined on the podcast by the top minds from the motoring industry, as they look under the hood of the biggest headlines at Drive.com.au
The show will expand on everything Drive is known for as the future of automotive and lets listeners in on where it’s all headed.
Drive Motoring News is for anyone thinking about buying a new vehicle, or wanting to better understand the latest industry news, technology and developments.
The first three episodes of Drive Motoring News, produced by 9Podcasts, are available now, with new episodes released every Tuesday.
[Listen to Drive Motoring News here]
Serial to release a new podcast episode on Adnan Syed after his murder conviction is vacated
Serial is set to release a new episode on Adnan Syed, who was convicted of the 1999 murder of his high school classmate and former girlfriend Hae Min Lee.
On Monday, Syed left prison after he was convicted in 2000 of killing Lee, who was found strangled and buried in a Baltimore park. Now 42, he has always maintained his innocence and was 17 at the time he was convicted, serving more than 20 years in prison as a result.
The case was made famous by the Serial Podcast in 2014 with host and investigative journalist Sarah Koenig. Over twelve episodes, she chronicled what happened and the case against Syed.
In the reinvestigation, prosecutors uncovered a document in the state’s trial file which was one person’s statement, saying that one of the uncovered suspects had a motive to kill Lee and had threatened her in front of another person.
The Serial podcast on Syed’s case investigated the case and pointed out inconsistencies that resulted in the conviction, and most notably, raised doubts about some of the evidence, including the validity of cell phone tower data that was one of the main pieces of evidence for the prosecution in Syed’s original trial
LiSTNR and carsales launch The Showroom podcast
LiSTNR and carsales.com.au have launched the second podcast series under their long-term partnership, The Showroom – Car News and Views.
The Showroom will feature the latest car news and views – from the inside info on new car releases, to what is causing a hike in petrol prices, interesting classifieds listed on carsales and everything in between.
The Showroom will be hosted by automotive commentator Greg Rust, who also heads LiSTNR’s popular Rusty’s Garage and carsales’ Watts Under the Bonnet: The Electric Vehicle Podcast.
Rust will be joined by a member of carsales independent editorial team on each episode to offer listeners unbiased, unfiltered, and informative conversations, as well as interviews with expert guests from the car world.
The Showroom is designed to appeal to all Australians who love anything with a motor and especially those who have a keen interest in the latest from the car world. It also allows for a more in-depth and behind the scenes look into the news stories, reviews and features that make the pages of carsales’ market-leading News & Reviews section.
Podcast Ranker August: Hamish and Andy hold top spot, Rush Hour & Marty lift
The usual suspects dominates the top of the Australian Podcast Ranker chart for the month of August 2022.
LiSTNR’s Hamish and Andy hold at #1 with the most monthly listeners on oh-so-close to 1m with 997,000.
The most monthly downloads goes to ARN’s iHeartPodcast Network’s The Kyle and Jackie O Show with 2.16m. The podcast of Sydney’s #1 FM radio show jumped up the chart two places to #3.
There was an impressive performance last month from iHeartPodcast Network’s Life Uncut with Brittany Hockley and Laura Byrne which lifted five spots to #5.
The podcast from Hedley Thomas and the journalists at The Australian, The Teacher’s Trial, continues to hover in the top 10. The series follows the events in the trial of Chris Dawson, who was recently found guilty of the murder of his wife Lynette Dawson. The podcast slipped three places to #6.
Climbing into the top 20 this month was LiSTNR’s Rush Hour with JB and Billy which climbed six spots to #16.
Another climber from the Triple M stable was The Marty Sheargold Show with the quirky breakfast show podcast package up nine spots to #20.
[See the Podcast Ranker charts here]
OMD Australia and NOVA partner to inspire a healthy work life balance in new podcast
OMD has announced the launch of The Balance of Busy podcast, a new podcast series in partnership with NOVA Entertainment.
The podcast series will feature conversations to inspire a healthy work life balance for professionals working in the media industry and beyond.
New episodes will be released each week with OMD hosts speaking to special guests who will provide fresh concepts and perspectives on how to achieve a healthy work life balance.
The first episode is available to stream from September 15 and features Carlie Young in conversation with OMD’s Emily Smith, discussing Carlie’s journey to finding balance through Ontological Coaching.
[Listen to The Balance of Busy here]
