Incredible Women Tell Their Stories

Today is International Women’s Day, a globally recognised day that celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. This year’s theme is #BalanceforBetter, with a focus on building a gender-balanced world.To celebrate, we have compiled a list of amazing, inspiring, pioneering women with whom we’ve enjoyed chatting on our Better Reading podcast, Stories Behind the Story. These are women with incredible stories – women who are changing the face of politics, feminism, and government policy.

Carly Findlay:

Carly Findlay, writer, speaker, and appearance activist, speaks to Cheryl Akle about her new book Say Hello, and her experience of living with a rare skin condition.

Anne Summers:

Australian author and pioneering feminist Anne Summers discusses her latest book, Unfettered and Alive: A memoir. Together, Cheryl Akle and Anne discuss how feminism has evolved, as well as reflecting on Anne’s experiences as both a political advisor and activist.

Jamila Rivzi:

In this podcast Cheryl Akle is joined by Jamila Rizvi, an extraordinary woman, who, at the age of 25, became one of the youngest people ever to work as Chief of Staff to a Federal Government Minister. Today, this writer, editor, political advisor and mother, has taken the world by storm to become the pre-eminent voice of young Australian women, both online and in person. Her second self-help book entitled, The Motherhood, is a collection of letters from women sharing what they wish they were told when they became first-time mothers.

Gillian Triggs:

In this podcast Cheryl Akle is joined by Gillian Triggs, president of The Australian Human Rights Commission (2012-2017), to discuss her latest memoir, Speaking Up – a brave biography that shares the values that have guided Triggs’ convictions and the causes she has championed. Together, Cheryl and Gillian discuss the need for government accountability and the need for reform and change at a legislative and individual level.

Leigh Sales:

In this podcast Cheryl Akle is joined by Leigh Sales, one of Australia’s most respected journalists, to discuss her new memoir Any Ordinary Day – a book about what happens when ordinary people, on ordinary days, are forced to suddenly find the resilience most of us don’t know we have. Together they discuss the remarkable endurance of humans who have suffered the unthinkable, and what we can learn from loss.

Sarah Hanson-Young:

In this podcast Cheryl Akle is joined by the youngest woman ever elected to the Federal Parliament, Australian politician Sarah Hanson-Young, to discuss her new book En Garde, a powerful exploration of the sexism rampant in politics today. Together they discuss the Me Too movement, and the need for change, not only in Australian politics, but also wider society.