Unleashed

On today’s show, one Unleasher’s weight has moved somewhere completely new, and she no longer recognises her own body.

Cath and Dr Ginni take on the myth that won’t die: can your underwire bra give you breast cancer? Then Cath brings a burning question about her own body: two skin tags, one very honest teenage son and whether she can just snip them off herself. Spoiler, no she can't.

Plus quick ones on thinning hair, why two glasses of wine now feels like a hangover and stiff joints in the morning. And the Dr...

Sally has a stack of new boundaries she hasn’t said out loud yet, and she wants a second opinion on whether they make her the villain. Annaliese filmed a date for TikTok, and the man showed up in toe shoes. The twist: he’d also arranged to meet her friend at the same bar, at the same time.

Ginni weighs in on whether expired makeup will actually hurt you (with a very unscientific lipstick hack) and admits she has no boundaries when it comes to her dog’s tongue. And a listener who quit as class parent...

Welcome to Burning Questions. 

If you grew up with Dolly Doctor, this show is for you. No question is too embarrassing, too niche or too weird. On this brand new show, Cath Mahoney asks the health questions you’ve sent us and Dr Ginni Mansberg answers them. 

On today's show, one Unleasher is surviving on three or four broken hours a night and is desperate for answers.

Cath puts TikTok’s favourite peri fix, turmeric, to the test. She also asks the question we’re all asking with a glass in hand: is the nigh...

Bruna tried very hard to be zen about being stuck in Hawaii even though it took 55 hours and two cancelled flights to get home. Cath walked out of a Pilates class halfway through, in front of everyone, in a t-shirt that looked like she’d dressed out of a bin. Ginni swapped the hardest day of an Italian hike for a ferry packed with 500,000 of her closest friends, and we all learned what a crampon is. (Not a hiking tampon.)

Plus, the Substack that told Gen X women they were sold a myth. And a listener whose da...

Sally was unprepared for an overseas mishap as a single parent. Annaliese steps in for Cath and shares how she’s entered the era of “having a fall” rather than simply falling over. Mary gave a friend some tough love, and it paid off, but it’s a risky move to pull.

Plus, the extremely unscientific reasons we’re all getting injured in our sleep after 40 (Ginni was sorely needed for this one… or perhaps Dr Bruna Papandrea). And a listener whose sister left her out of the bridal party. The hosts’ advice? It involves a white dress.

Cath flew one-way across the country to meet a man she had already married in her head, and he cried instead of consummating. Bruna discovered she had been paying someones phone bill for two and a half years, to the tune of five grand. Mary's mum stormed a bank teller into a discount and came back with the hair to prove it. And Cath slid into a 24-year-old's DMs, purely, she swears, for the history content. Plus: the skin check Bruna avoided for years, the mentoring session that ended one woman's acting dreams, and the Unleasher wondering if 40 is...

Grace went in for a friendly hello hug and came out with a handful she didn't ask for. Ginni got pulled up by immigration over a joke about cathedrals and thought her holiday was over. Grace also wants to outsource half her husband and most of her son, starting with his ears. And Cath got the best test results of her life and somehow felt worse than ever.

Plus: the party guest who needed an ambulance, the neighbours whose sex life runs like clockwork, and the Unleasher who paid nearly a thousand dollars to be ghosted by...

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Author and skincare founder Zoë Foster Blake joins this week’s Unleashed and she’s bringing her new book, Group Chat, to the couch.

Mary hired a nude dancer for a hen’s night, only for one very religious relative to become an extremely enthusiastic audience member. Bruna kept a cast fed, entertained and sane through COVID quarantine, right down to a request for a pet goanna. And Cath’s mum gave her one sentence when she was five that she’s lived by ever since.

Plus, Zoë shares t...

We're bringing you a special divorce episode because we know so many of you are either in the messy middle of it, or have come out the other side and found some unexpected freedom (aka the silver linings amongst the heartbreak).

First up, the Unleashed hosts have done the research and found some of the wildest ex stories to prove that, whatever your ex has done, yours might not be the worst. There’s a tampon “found on the street”, a cheater who sent a Brené Brown video as an apology, and a man who took out an AVO ag...

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Georgie tried to text her electrician a compliment and accidentally threatened him with legal action instead. Grace's ceiling caved in and dumped half a rooftop pool into her bedroom. Ginni is fairly convinced she drowned in a past life Plus: the eight-point list of things that annoy the Unleashed hosts. And Grace gives a "how to say no" masterclass that solves absolutely nothing.

In your ears today: Georgie Page, Grace Lam, Ginni Mansberg, Cath Mahoney. Plus a little voice note from Sally Hepworth.

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Cath went to the gynaecologist and came out with a story that involves stirrups, a giant screen, and a confession about waxing she did not mean to make. Sally used her own best friend as a human shield during a school egg fight. Also up for discussion is why nobody throws you a party for the last time you push a pram, and whether Gen Z has just figured out boundaries before the rest of us caught on. Plus, could Bruna win Survivor, Love Island or Australia's Next Top Model. 

Over the past two episodes, our co-host Ginni has shared the deeply personal story of her mum's decision to access voluntary assisted dying.

In this final episode, Ginni takes us through the day her mum died and what came next.

Because when all the planning is done and you've left the hospital for the last time, nobody can really prepare you for waking up the next morning and knowing the person who has been part of your life since the day you were born, is suddenly gone.

We're meeting Ginni one week later...

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Sally's dad had chest pains, so she drove him across town... to the wrong hospital, because he wanted the nicer one. Then she ended up with actual poop on her hands walking the family dogs. Cath did a full CSI-style deep clean before a friend came to stay, and Ginni confessed she is, unsettlingly, guest-ready at all times, no cleaning frenzy required. Oh, and Bruna has given herself a new job title. Plus: the exact age science says is the unhappiest of your whole life, and why one of them is...

Dr Ginni has six days left with her mum before she passes away.

As Unleashers would know, Ginni’s mum is very ill and has been for a long time. She has made the decision to choose voluntary assisted dying.

This is Part 2 of Ginni and her mum’s story, if you missed Part 1, you can listen here. 

In this episode, Ginni opens up about life with a countdown on her mum’s life. From doctors' visits and the stark reality of someone’s final days, to the complicated family dynamics that don't simply di...

The Unleashed hosts have a movie pitch for Bruna and she is extremely underwhelmed. Georgie can't open a bottle of milk anymore without her wrist giving out. Ginni explains the real reason your jaw can seize up over something as small as a yawn. Bruna reveals her plan for the ultimate girls' commune, right down to the house rules.

Plus, the noise that apparently ends your husband's chances tonight, a retirement plan built entirely around gossip, and a listener whose almost-moment in the kitchen got a lot more attention than she wanted.

In your ears...

We talk a lot about getting older. Usually, we’re here for a laugh, because God knows we need one. But sometimes, at this stage of life, we also need to have a cry.

For Gen X, that can mean watching our parents age and facing the realities of serious illness.

Our co-host Ginni is living this right now. Her mum has been very ill for a long time and has made the decision to choose voluntary assisted dying.

It’s been a long and complicated road for Ginni and her family, and she’...

Cath got bumped off a screensaver, and she still remembers exactly who took her spot. Mary's husband treats a nap like a NASA mission. Ginni has one line she says to every patient before a certain exam, and it never fails.

Plus: the movies and shows that actually ended relationships, the childhood celebrity meeting that went badly wrong, and a Spring Fling playlist update with strong opinions on Footloose.

In your ears today: Ginni Mansberg, Mary Coustas, Georgie Page and Cath Mahoney.

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Check out our U...

The Spring Fling Committee is officially meeting. Buy tickets to The Spring Fling.

Cath accidentally gave Dannii Minogue a full Basic Instinct moment. Georgie will defend her sleep bra collection to her grave. Bruna's mum has a Google Alert set up and reports back whether she likes her work or not. 

And somehow, everyone's first job scarred them for life... burns, tips, tiny wrists, and one very large tray. Plus: the four-month house guest nobody knows how to evict, and the world's most detailed dummy's guide to solo parenting.

In your ears today: G...

This is a heavy one, and an episode we wish we didn’t have to record.

Today we're sharing a story that has broken hearts globally: the Lindsay Clancy trial currently taking place in the US.

Georgie Page is joined by Mia Freedman and The Quicky journalist Tamsin Rose to unpack the details of this incredibly distressing case. 

Please look after yourselves.

RESOURCES:

If you or anyone you know needs to speak with an expert, please contact your GP or in Australia, contact Lifeline (13 11 14), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636), all of wh...

Cath is getting her formal!! Democracy has won. 

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The Unleashed family is growing, with a new voice joining the couch: Georgie Page. And she’s joining with some cracking stories, including the time she sent her actual wedding invite to actual royalty… and then made the fatal mistake of reading the comments. Mary got run over as a kid, sort of, and her reaction still haunts her. Grace heard one podcast episode and nearly torched her marriage over a park ban.

And Cath blanked so hard at the me...

Grace declared war on a noisy neighbour and it got loud. Sally bought a $20 bowl off Marketplace and it changed her whole week. Ginni found out that being a rule follower is basically a diagnosis. And someone's Great Auntie once hid a small fortune somewhere you'd never think to look.

Plus, the ladies tackle a dating dilemma from a listener who's ready to get back out there, but isn't sure how.

In your ears today: Cath Mahoney, Ginni Mansberg, Sally Hepworth and Grace Lam

Would you come to Cath's formal?! Messsage us! 

Sally's ex sent an accidental message that has us all cringing, and now she has to decide if bailing him out of humiliation is still her job. Ginni puts the whole midlife supplement stack under the microscope, plus the "Enhanced Games" scam nobody saw coming. There's also a proper gut-punch listener dilemma this week: what do you do when your dead mum's estranged family wants a separate goodbye? Grace has some very personal advice to share on that one. And Cath may finally be getting the school formal she never had (decades late, taffeta mandatory).

In your...

Or keep your mouth shut and wait for the whole thing to implode? Mary learned that telling the truth can come back to bite you. Meanwhile, Cath went heavy petting in a 12th-century graveyard and Grace got caught mid-pash with her knickers around her ankles and a pack of wild dogs closing in. Bruna makes adult dramas but can’t stop watching teenage ones, and Mary's worried we've lost the art of small talk.

Plus, can two sisters grow up in the same house and remember completely different childhoods?

In your ears today: Cath Mahoney, Ma...

In a time before social media, before camera phones and before anyone could prove anything, one of us had a toilet-line kiss with Robbie Williams. And somehow, that is not even the funniest celebrity story in this episode.

Sally says there is a childhood trend directly linked to her declining mental health. Mary once thought she was pregnant at eight years old. Bruna takes aim at the myth that women vanish after 40. And a very spicy problem involving an affair, a soulmate and one dinner table nobody wants to sit at.

Plus... Cath never went...

You know Mary Coustas as one of Australia's funniest women: the brilliant mind behind the big-haired, iconic character Effie who has graced our screens and stage for over 30 years. But in this episode from the archives, we're bringing you a different side of Mary.

In this No Filter conversation with Mia Freedman, Mary talks about her unfaltering desire to become a mother, the unimaginable loss of enduring 23 IVF attempts, and the absolute joy of finally welcoming her daughter at 49. It’s honest, unflinchingly raw, deeply moving, and a chance to get to know this beloved icon a wh...

Have you heard the one about the wife who cares for everyone else.... but when she's sick she gets the four hour husband? Mary reckons it's all about love languages. Could Cath Mahoney be Australia's next Golden Bachelorette? Hollywood Producer Bruna Papandrea is on the case. Bruna opens the HR file on office romances, and the things we got up to in a time before relationship policies came in. What happens when a friendship fades? Bruna lets one slip and gets called out on it. And Grace Lam harbors a dream to be an Italian Mafia boss. Obviously.

You hot? Same. Grab a fan, because Very Peri is officially here. Created by Mamamia, we’ve sorted through the noise to answer your most urgent perimenopause questions.

There is no shortage of perimenopause information out there. In fact, there is too much and most of it is unregulated, incomplete or contradictory. Consider Very peri your single trusted source, built purely around your needs.

Get instant access to over 20 on-demand videos featuring 25 leading perimenopause experts from Australia and around the world, including Australia's most trusted medical voice Dr Ginni Mansberg, New York Times bestselling author an...

Does ambition die in midlife, or are we just getting started? And what happens when your drive is as strong as ever, but your body is screaming stop? You know Bruna Papandrea as an absolute powerhouse: a Hollywood super-producer who went from working-class Adelaide to becoming one of the most successful forces in Hollywood, bringing us massive hits like Big Little Lies and Gone Girl.

 But in this episode from the archives of MID, we're bringing you a different side of Bruna. In this conversation with Holly Wainwright, Bruna strips back the Hollywood glamour to talk about th...

One missing blazer has triggered a full time whatsapp group situation and Sally is over it. Bruna once went The Godfather on the kindergarten parents and has no regrets. Cath Mahoney never got a formal, never got a corsage, and is still a little bit heartbroken about the taffeta dress she never wore. Sally got a flat tyre and handed the whole mess to her men and felt great about it. Plus the eulogy that broke us.

In your ears today: Sally Hepworth, Mary Coustas, Bruna Papandrea and Cath Mahoney

Check out our Unleashed music p...

If you're a midlife woman - or live with someone who is - this episode is an absolute must-listen.

We love Dr. Ginni Mansberg for her no-BS medical wisdom and her completely unfiltered take on women’s health. In this No Filter conversation with Mia Freedman, she strips back the clinical talk to get incredibly real about the chaotic reality of perimenopause and menopause - and the wild things that start happening to your body as early as your late thirties.

Ginni's own story is also lean-in interesting: she’s a mum of six to a bl...

Mary accidentally glimpsed a married man's Google search and now she has to pretend to be blind for the rest of her life. Bruna has discovered boxing, and has the Rocky song in her head and a very specific enemy face on the bag. Sally admits she may have cheated at Wordle for family reasons. Cath's driving instructor kept a wooden ruler on his lap, which feels less like a lesson and more like a minor crime. And after Bruna admits to escaping a wellness retreat, Sally rings ones to ask the thing no one else was brave enough...

For over 25 years Grace Lam lived inside the glossy world of fashion, including as a Vogue editor. Then hormones kicked down the door and blew up her life.

In this MID conversation with Holly Wainwright, Grace gets incredibly real about what that identity crisis actually felt like, and how she went from the fashion front row to the Western Australian Senate, fighting for institutions to finally catch up to women's health needs. Grace is sharp, funny, no-BS, and gloriously sweary. It’s honest, a little bit raw, and a masterclass in turning perimenopause misery into a loud, imp...

An expensive wellness retreat was booked. A quiet, nourishing reset was planned. But no TV and no phone? Bruna said..no thanks. Speaking of wellness, Mary claims she cured her warts with witchcraft, and Dr Ginni has some...scientific questions. Creatine is the midlife supplement we hear about more than any, so what does the good Doctor have to say? And how far would you go for your bestie? Because Mary went pretty far to get Bruna a filming permit.

Plus a dilemma: our Unleashers husband has discovered Facebook Marketplace and is convinced he can flip a...

We love Sally Hepworth on the Unleashed couch for her razor-sharp wit and her hilarious, no-BS take on modern motherhood. Sally is one of Australia’s most successful, best-loved authors and her novels are regularly on top bestseller lists around the world.

But in this No Filter conversation with Kate Langbroek, she strips back the bestseller glamour to share her most personal story yet - and it’s as layered and compelling as one of her books. Sally gets incredibly real about ending her 20-year marriage, why she no longer believes marriage is a good deal for women...

Sally called in from Melbourne to formally lodge a complaint against Cath's new dating coach. Mary invented a ball bra and pitched it to a Bonds designer. Cath saw Stirrup Pants are back and needs a fashion assessment from Grace. Meanwhile, Grace turned up to Parliament House in polka dot socks and briefly out-styled the entire Australian Government. Dr. Ginni invented a brilliant new business idea; shame it's already been done. Also: what was the first R-rated film you snuck into? And what kind of psychological damage did it leave behind? Cath also has a TV recco for your...

You know Cath Mahoney from the Unleashed couch: funny, filthy, fast, and very willing to say the thing everyone else is only thinking. But in this episode from the archives, we're bringing you a different side of Cath.

In this No Filter conversation with Mia Freedman, Cath talks about the end of her marriage, what it was like to go through divorce in public, and the strange identity crisis that can happen when a relationship ends and you realise you’re not quite sure who you are without it.

It’s honest, hilarious, a little bit ra...

Just when we thought we couldn't love Kylie Minogue any more, she gave a masterclass in how to handle your ex, and we're obsessed. Grace is handing out shower caps to strangers on public transport like it's her actual job. Meanwhile, Cath has been running her entire dating life through an AI chatbot for advice, then Dr. Ginni broke everyone's heart talking about her grandchildren, who are impossible to just cuddle on a Tuesday.

Also: in other people's problems, a listener accidentally flubbed her best friend's job reference. She missed out on the job. Should she confess?<...

Sally's gone woo woo and we're here for it. Cath went on a very promising date but the next step split the group chat. Should she she text him? Should she be a beautiful, elusive deer? Or is she simply a Labrador in need of love, reassurance and maybe a Spotify playlist?

Also this week: Grace gives a stranger on a plane a tissue, Mary reminds us why showing up for your friends’ good news is deeply underrated, Sally makes little deals with the universe, and everyone tries to process the horrifying news that smoking might be ba...

Janet works from home. Her husband just retired. He lurks. He breathes. He wants to eat lunch together every single day. She needs him to f**k off and she needs the girls to tell her she's not a monster for feeling that way.

Also this week: Cath has been stalking a stolen pair of AirPods around Sydney for three weeks like a one-woman Magnum PI. Bruna got on a plane to LA she knew she shouldn't, cried the entire flight, and turned around and came home. Sally is 45 and officially elderly (eye floaters, favourite supermarket trolley...

Grace heard someone breaking into her apartment, grabbed a tennis racket, lowered her voice and screamed through the door in her mouth guard. It was not, in fact, a burglar. Mary has had it with people saying 'I Love You'. We disagree (and we love Mary, very much). Cath confesses that she dreads holidays since her divorce. Bruna lives with lupus and wakes up in pain every single day, and almost no one knows. And Grace had nits for four days and genuinely thought it was perimenopause.
And the songs that changed us. Whether sitting on a school...