Life Academy

Pop culture girlies are HERE and we are NOT holding back 💜😭

We went to The Devil Wears Prada 2 premiere in Sydney and it was boujee, chaotic and honestly one of the most fun nights 🎬✨ We got told to "move along" off the red carpet because there was "actual talent" arriving 😳

The movie though? An absolute 10! Meryl, Emily, Anne, all back and better than ever. And the fun fact that Meryl Streep based Miranda Priestly on egotistical MALE directors and not Anna Wintour?! We cannot 👏

Then things get juicy. Lena Dunham's bombshell new book Famesick is out and Dena's love affair with Adam is officially over (😭 RIP). We've also got Harry Styles and Zoë Kravitz's engagement, all our Met Gala hot takes including whether bleached eyebrows are a vibe or a crime, Rihanna hinting at new music, Taylor Swift's Love Story origin story which is genuinely hilarious, and the Oscars finally putting their foot down on AI 👏

Another week, another chaotic pop culture debrief, dAlings 💜

00:54 The Devil Wears Prada 2 Sydney premiere recap

03:58 Getting moved along on the red carpet

06:25 Devil Wears Prada 2 fashion facts & Anna Wintour influence

10:16 Meryl Streep says Miranda wasn’t really based on Anna Wintour

11:46 Sydney Sweeney’s cut Devil Wears Prada 2 cameo

13:29 Harry Styles and Zoë Kravitz engagement rumours

15:33 Met Gala fashion reactions

17:39 Lena Dunham’s Famesick and Girls nostalgia

19:14 Jack Antonoff, Lorde rumours & Adam Driver stories

22:03 Rihanna new music rumours & Fenty confusion

23:41 Coachella headliner rumours

24:13 AI-generated work banned from some Oscars categories

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It’s Life Lately and honestly… your girls are not okay, but in a very iconic way 😭💜

Dena is tired, overwhelmed, running late, and deep in her “why is my ADHD brain like this?” era 👀 Meanwhile Alicia has had an absolutely unhinged week — late to teach at Thomas Lacey’s dance school, scraped her car on her own fence, and came home to find poor Muddy had fully destroyed the house. Like… walls were involved 💀💀💀

But in between the disasters, things got really beautiful 🥹 Dena saw The Drama on date night and broke down crying over Alex, unconditional love, and the kind of love that makes you want to tattoo it. Plus toddler birthday planning, spiritual practices, and some VERY spicy pop culture tea for next week 👀

Please tell us we are not alone in this chaotic era dAlings!!! 💜

1:47 — ADHD, we see you: time blindness, alarms, and mum-life chaos 👀

6:38 — Alicia’s first fail: 30 minutes late to teach acting

12:36 — Girls’ night chaos: wrong time, rushed outfit, and the car scrape 💀

20:21 — The baptism was cute… then Muddy destroyed the house 😭

24:45 — Alex vs Maya’s pink ball: the toddler meltdown we all saw coming

33:08 — Self-care has left the chat: Bali, uni, volunteering, and burnout

38:00 — Spiritual practices, oracle cards, and magical women ✨

47:30 — New studio, same chaos — plus this week’s recs/homework

54:15 — Spicy pop culture homework: Lena Dunham, Adam Driver, and next week’s tea 👀

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Recs/Homework:

Oracle or affirmation cards — Alicia’s homework is to sit down, pull some cards, and let a little magic back in ✨

Ditto PMDD supplements — Dena says she’s genuinely noticed a difference with her PMDD symptoms.

Honey’s Gummies Cunnies Gummies — Creatine, but make it sour lolly vibes.

Pop culture homework — Watch The Drama and read up on the Lena Dunham / Adam Driver tea before next week 👀
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We are BACK dAlings and honestly… we've had a week 😔💜

Some weeks you're absolutely smashing it. Other weeks your car gets towed mid-facial, you reverse into a stranger's car, and your toddler looks you dead in the eyes and says "I don't love you." This is one of those weeks for Dena...😭😭😭

Alicia's not doing much better 😅 Health anxiety has been quietly taking over her nights, and this week it got bad enough that she left a dinner party before the mains even arrived. She also opens up about the International Women's Day speech she gave at Queen's College, Melbourne Uni — and how writing it all down reminded her of just how much she's actually survived 🥹

Plus: the au pair conversation Dena's been too scared to have publicly (YES and don't judge her!!), why resilience is sometimes just exhausting, and the parenting repair moment that hit different 😢

This is the episode for anyone who's ever felt like they're failing at everything all at once, and needed someone to remind them they're not. Love you dAlings SO much 💜

1:52 — Dena's disaster week: towed car, a free facial, and a $680 bill

8:00 — "I don't love you" — Maya's bedtime rejection and Dena's ADHD trauma spiral

13:22 — Alicia's mum guilt: yelling at Isla for an accidental wee (and the repair)

19:55 — Alicia's Queens College speech — resilience, rejection and the women who lifted her

30:32 — Learning to receive compliments & knowing your own worth

32:45 — Health anxiety spiral: how Alicia talked herself out of a dinner party

38:30 — Dena opens up about having an au pair — $300/week and why it saved her family

44:43 — Recommendations: home organisation, Gemma La Prê lip stains & more

47:57 — Life Academy hits 1 million downloads + exciting things coming for you dAlings

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Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/957273649851434/

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Recs/Homework:

Au Pairs Australia: Search the Facebook group to find your match. Do your due diligence: police checks, working with children's card, trials!

Organised Abode (Belle): Melbourne-based home organiser who will change your life. Can't get Belle in? Clear out your wardrobe and donate. Best feeling ever ✨

Gemma Lepre French Kiss Lip Stain: The lip stain that does NOT budge. Find them on Instagram 💋

Therapy: Alicia's finally committing. Don't wait, dAlings 🙏
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Okay DALINGS… the rewatch chaos continues and WOW this one unlocked some very vivid memories 😂

This ep was one of the very first things we ever filmed, so naturally we’re roasting ourselves the entire time – from the questionable outfits (who approved those??) to trying to figure out our bodies on camera for the first time 🫠

On top of that, we get into the friendship dynamics and unpack why poor Kat honestly deserved so much better in this episode 😭 There’s also plenty of behind-the-scenes moments, including Alicia getting absolutely pelted with a soccer ball (multiple times), Dena going full chaos mode between takes, and a certain HOT extra that we need you guys to help us find immediately 👀

We hope you enjoy this unhinged trip down memory lane. Love you! 💜

3:21 - Tara Lying Straight to Kat’s Face

5:59 - Spotting the "Hot Extra" (Adam, is that you?)

7:02 - The Raw Egg Throw Breakdown

8:14 - The Origin of "Clammy Sammy"

11:18 - Being Dressed by "Old Ladies" on Set

14:02 - Dena’s Very First Scene Ever Filmed

15:03 - Alicia’s Real Soccer Ball to the Face

19:10 - Dena’s Opening Credits Controversy

21:46 - The "Bloody Beautiful" Slow-Mo Ending

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The producer of DANCE ACADEMY is here DALINGS!!! 💜💜💜

Joanna Werner – the legendary producer who created the show that changed all of our lives – is finally here. We're talking origin stories (she and Sam had the SAME vision at 3am after drinks!!!), the insane casting process where Alicia ate a banana while the whole class waited, why Dena was always Abigail, and the devastating decision behind killing Sammy.

Plus Joanna gets real about IVF, being pregnant while filming the movie in New York, and how she built boundaries as a working mum in an industry that used to pretend families didn't exist.

This episode is pure magic and we're so grateful she's part of our story 💕

2:13 The Origin Story – How Joanna met Sam Strauss at 3am

12:04 Alicia's audition – "If she can dance, she's in the show"

21:02 The final callbacks – Who would be Kat?

24:06 The banana incident – Alicia stopped the whole audition to eat

31:19 DENA ARRIVES – Car troubles but she made it!

32:48 "She's Abigail. Go." – Joanna always knew

40:46 Thank you for Dance Academy – The gift that keeps giving

50:28 Why we killed Sammy – The truth behind the decision (it was nearly Ben!)

57:00 Dance Academy season 4? – What would it take?

1:00:18 Alicia's rec – Go to the dentist!

1:01:50 Dena's rec – Imperfect Women on Apple TV + chocolate coconut water

1:03:53 Joanna's rec – Audiobooks! James, Scar Tissue, Anna Karenina

Follow us at:

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https://www.instagram.com/aliciabanit

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https://www.tiktok.com/@lifeacademythepodcast

Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/957273649851434/

Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LifeAcademyThePodcast

Recs/Homework:

Go to the dentist: Joanna's root canal exploded after Dance Academy – don't wait!

Imperfect Women: Apple TV series starring Elisabeth Moss – Dena's obsessed.

Chocolate Coconut Water: Coca Bella brand, icy cold – Alicia hates it, Dena loves it.

Audiobooks (Audible): James by Percival Everett (Booker Prize winner), Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis, Funny Story by Emily Henry, Anna Karenina (the 28-hour classic!)
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