Life Matters - Full program podcast

School is back and across the ditch there's a new subject in the New Zealand curriculum: financial education will be taught in classrooms from year 1 to 10. The Barefoot Investor author Scott Pape discusses how Australia could incorporate financial lessons into our own curriculum.
There's a turf war in Melbourne right now over who's responsible for maintaining the nature strip on either side of the road. But could there be a better way to make use of these public pockets of land?
Giving your child a name that suits them can feel like an impossible task, and we turn to our own cultural touchpoints for inspiration. So what does it say about our cultural references when Charlotte, Oliver, Amelia and Noah top the charts every year?

Australia is a world leader in cancer survival, with more than 1.6 million people now living with and beyond cancer. But survival alone doesn't tell the whole story. Cancer survivor and researcher Professor Phoebe Phillips and Professor Bogda Koczwara from the Australian Research Centre for Cancer Survivorship discuss how to support people not just during the early stages of care, but for the long run. 
What age did you consider yourself "too old" to wear certain outfits? Playwright Peta Murray and author David Carlin share what they learned about the complexities of aging through caring for their elderly parents and reflecting on their experience in a new memoir, How to Dress for Old Age.
Around one in seven Australians lives with tinnitus, a debilitating condition that can affect our social lives, our work and even how we get to sleep. As part of Tinnitus Awareness Week, a group of researchers from around the world have joined forces to push sound-based therapies designed to help people reduce the noise.

While women's sport is booming in Australia, beneath the surface there are signs of a culture that's lagging behind. Accusations of disrespect, mistreatment and exclusion are still bubbling away — and one regional Victorian women's team has walked away from their club altogether. ABC Sport reporter Marnie Vinall, researcher Rochelle Eime and West Brunswick AFC president Lydia Holt unpack what it actually takes to turn spaces built by men, for men, into places where women truly belong.
The pandemic entrenched working from home, and these days, millions of people are logging in remotely to do everything they once did in the office. But if your boss is not so keen on the idea of you working from home, how can you make the case for it? Melissa Wheeler digs into new research looking at which flexible work requests are most effective.
An Australian designer has released a copycat version of the iconic Birkin handbag, retailing for a fraction of the price. It begs the question: how much more are we willing to pay for "authentic" products or experiences? Paul Harrison discusses whether fake can still be fashionable, and how important authenticity is to real consumers.

The dog park is a magical place for our four-legged friends. But it's also a unique space for humans to connect with each other, form friendships, build community, and in some cases, even fall in love. Co-creator of ABC's new comedy Dog Park Amanda Higgs and animal-human relationship specialist Tiffani Howell discuss what makes dog park friendships so special. 
When John Davey became a quadruple amputee, he spent eight months lying in a hospital bed before a chance meeting in rehab showed him the true meaning of companionship. Could social connection be the key to recovery?
A new survey shows around 70 per cent of kids travel to school by car, missing out on the benefits that come with active travel. So how can we get more out of our daily commute? Kieran Brophy shares the successes of a Victorian pilot program to get more kids walking to school.

If you've always defined who you are by what you do, you may have found it difficult to nurture other parts of your identity. 
But journalist and author of The Good Enough Job, Simone Stolzoff, argues there are ways to downsize the role of work in your life.
And aunties Nelly Thomas and Annie Louey weigh in on when it's helpful to step into your 12-year-old's social life and when it's not.