After getting married, the assumption is that you'll live with your new spouse, but some people choose a different path.

Sydney couple Yvette Evans and Ed Streeter tied the knot two years ago. They're fully committed to a life together but they've decided to remain living separately for the time being.

So, what are the implications for couples who choose not to live together and how does living apart change a relationship?

A new report suggests that over 8% of restaurants and bars will close over the next year as rising costs hit their bottom line and the rising cost of living changes the way we eat. 

While some parts of the industry are doing quite well, many smaller businesses are struggling, even if they're not at risk of closing.

Is it just consumer spending driving these challenges or are there deeper economic concerns for the hospitality market? And what will it mean for your next meal out?

The old notion that there's pain in laughter is something Michelle Brasier can attest to. 

After losing her father and brother to cancer, and learning there's a high chance she will develop it too, Michelle turned a burgeoning acting career into award-winning comedy. 

Now, she's written a book about those difficult times and what it means to live your life as if every day was your last. 

You find someone you like on a dating app, but what should you do if you a close friend also fancies them?

Society loves a bit of grit and celebrates qualities of perseverance and determination. 

It can be a handy quality to have: seeing you through hard times and propelling you towards your life goals, but understanding what a healthy amount of grit looks like can be difficult. How do you know when it's no longer serving you. 

Dr Zoe Krupka joined Beverley Wang to discuss what it means to have grit and when it might not be so helpful.

As a newly-divorced mother of four working as nurse, Dr Hilary Caldwell was struggling to pay the bills. Then she found sex work, which she says led her down a path towards sexual liberation. 

In her new memoir, the sexologist and academic opens up about her personal story for the first time with the hope that being honest and 'shame-free' about her own journey may help others on theirs. 

Guest:

Dr Hilary Caldwell, sexologist, academic and author of Slutdom: Reclaiming shame-free sexuality

Sometimes it's the simple things that make a big difference in our lives.

Claire Hooper is a comedian and presenter and here she shares her regret about not taking time to remember names, what her dog taught her, and her discovery of comfortable shoes.  

If you've been pregnant, but lost the baby, at or near term, what is it like to become pregnant again and to try to parent, after such a loss?

Health care professionals are becoming more aware that people need particular support around stillbirth.

That's why The Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth have released a new update to their guidelines for Care Around Stillbirth and Neonatal Death.

Lilly Castor, Emma Porter and Fran Boyle talk about what helps, for parents going through such a devastating time.

What role should the bank of mum and dad play in supporting children into adulthood and how might this perpetuate inequality into the future?

Sociologist Professor Dan Woodman joins Hilary Harper to share his insights on the broader impacts that Intergenerational wealth transfer could have on society.

Teenage girls are routinely underestimated and dismissed, while at the same time painted as anxious, tech-addicted and vulnerable. 

Chelsea Goodan and Sahra O'Doherty say teen girls have inherent power and wisdom that we can better nurture. And by focusing on their fears for teen girls, adults often overlook their strengths. 

New research reveals that over four million Australians are struggling to afford basic toiletries such as shampoo, soap and deodorant.

Hygiene poverty is believed to be a precursor to food and fuel poverty and can have devastating impacts on both mental and physical health.

So, what more needs to be done to ensure that people aren't being forced to make tough decisions about which essentials they buy.

In the past, tattoos were associated with criminality, promiscuity and poor morality. 

That's changed, but does social stigma still exist in some form against people with tattoos, perhaps in subtler ways? 

We look at contemporary views of tattoos through a gender lens and find that tattooed women and men experience social stigma in different ways. 

The Victorian branch of the CFMEU, one of Australia's biggest and most powerful unions, has been placed in administration, its secretary has stepped down, and allegations of misconduct have been referred to the police and the state's anti corruption body.

This comes at a time when union membership has undergone a substantial decline. In the 1970s, more than 55 per cent of workers belonged to a union. Now that number is below 15 per cent.

Distinguished Professor Anthony Forsyth and Professor Bradon Ellem discuss the role of the unions in an era of short-term job contracts and an increasingly digital economy.

And what does the news around the Victorian CFMEU mean for our trust in these institutions?

Thomas Mayo is an Kaurareg Aboriginal and Kalkalgal, Erubamle Torres Strait Islander, an author and an assistant national secretary of the MUA.

For Here's What I Know, he shares how he set aside the lessons in masculinity that he'd been taught growing up, and the lessons he's sharing with his own son.

We've long been searching for the secret to a long and healthy life. But we may be a step closer as scientists have discovered what actually drives ageing.

Scientists hope that by better understanding what causes our cells to age, we will be able to improve people’s quality of life and potentially even prevent or slow the progression of age-related diseases. 

If you follow the headlines, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the environmental news these days.

And eco-anxiety is an issue impacting children just as much as adults.

So how can we talk to our kids in a way that acknowledges the problems, but maintains a space for hope.

Rebecca Gilling talks about Now For The Good News, a new book published by Planet Ark, that's aiming to make those conversations a little easier.

Are you someone who enjoys a wine with dinner? Or a cold beer at the end of a long working day? And if you do, how do you feel about giving up alcohol?

To be ‘sober curious’ is to be conscious of your relationship with alcohol. 

Dr Nicole Lee and Beck Feiner discuss what it means to choose a life without alcohol.

The assassination attempt on Donald Trump could place gun control squarely on the agenda in the US presidential campaign.

Australia has its own history with gun violence, but our gun culture has shifted hugely in recent decades, and the number of gun licences has almost halved since 1997.

Dr Vince Hurley discusses whether Australian-style gun reform could help in the US?

We all do a cheeky scroll from time to time through someone's Instagram page, but what happens when you accidentally hit like. Do you need to explain yourself? And what if said person is a new love interest? 

Vanity is loosely defined as being a bit too invested in physical appearance – but how much is too much? 

With the phenomenal popularity of the Get Ready With Me videos on social media, vanity is certainly having a moment in the culture. At best it can be viewed as celebrated form of self-care but  at worst can lead to some risky behaviours.

Anushka Phal joins Beverley Wang to navigate where vanity can be helpful and where it can be harmful.

A new professional body, the Divorce and Separation Coaching Institute, has been formed to try to regulate New Zealand's growing industry of divorce coaches. 

But in Australia, the industry remains unregulated. So, what skills and qualifications should you look for in a divorce coach? 

Nas Campanella is the ABC's national disability affairs reporter.

Here, she shares the importance of story time, how motherhood helped her to understand and appreciate her own resilience, and how yoga creates a quiet space in a busy life.

For the last few decades the ‘history wars’  dominated the discussion about how students learn about Indigenous culture and history in schools. 

Now that we have a rich Indigenous studies curriculum, what does learning look like on the ground? And what more can be done to deepen students' relationships with First Nations' knowledge of country?

Guests: 

Professor Peter Anderson, Director, Indigenous Research Unit, Griffith University

Professor Anna Clarke, historian at the Australian Centre for Public History, UTS, author of Making Australian History and Executive Producer of Hey History!, Australia’s first classroom history podcast for primary school students

Khin Myint, spent years watching his sister, Theda, fight a debilitating illness. It left her bedridden and distressed, but there was constant debate about whether her condition was mental or physical. Even the doctors were left deliberating over both the cause and best treatment. 

For Theda, the illness and lack of answers left her seeking euthanasia. Fragile Creatures is Khin's memoir and explores how you learn to accept and support someone you love who wants to die.

An American mother stirred up conversation with a TikTok in which she revealed that she served dinner to her children at 3.30pm. 

Dr Evangeline Mantzioris explores whether there is any such thing as the 'best' time to eat your last meal of the day.

Cultural representations of the midlife crisis has shifted somewhat over recent years and a new offering from writer Miranda July titled All Fours has sparked headlines about the female experience of midlife.

Dr Charlotte Keating is a clinical psychologist with a PhD in neuroscience and she joined Hilary Harper to discuss how to recognise a midlife crisis and the best way to navigate through it.

Many Australians living in rural and remote areas have higher levels of chronic disease, shorter lives and poorer access to health services, compared with people living in metropolitan areas.

To help tackle these issues, the Queensland government has announced a cash incentive to try and boost GP numbers and encourage more young doctors to work in rural and remote communities.  

So how will the incentive work and will cash alone be enough to tempt doctors out of the cities and into rural practice?

Georgia Sheehan is a Commonwealth gold medallist for 3m synchronised diving and a silver medallist in the women's 1m springboard.

This year, she finished third in qualifying for the Olympics. That's a pretty remarkable achievement, but Australia is only sending two divers. So this time, Georgia is missing out.

What's it like dedicating yourself to a goal that doesn't quite come to pass?

And how do you pick yourself up and decide what's next?

Over the weekend, the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Bill Shorten, said that access to sex work would be banned from the NDIS under planned reforms.

Theoretically, specialised sex services have been available since a Federal court ruling in 2020, which found that the services should be approved, when deemed 'reasonable and necessary'.

But despite raising concerns over sustainability, Mr Shorten said that he was only aware of "one or two examples" of it ever happening"

Marayke Jonkers and Rachel Wotton discuss why it is being ruled out now and what it means for the broader changes to the scheme.

Ailsa Piper's world fell apart when her husband Peter died suddenly and unexpectedly.

Despite the horror and trauma of this time her book For Life: A Memoir of Living and Dying, and Flying contains a wealth of beauty and light.

Ailsa talks to Hilary about how she found ways to process her grief, exploring how objects hold memory, how nature helped her heal, and how new pursuits helped her to learn to live again.

Between family, work, and friends, Georgia Weir was juggling a lot of things in her life.

And, behind the scenes, she was juggling even more — dealing with addiction and mental health issues.

Then, a little over a decade ago, Georgia started running.

In quick order she went from the couch, to the New York marathon, to coaching other people and creating the Deadly Runners program.

This year, Georgia was a finalist for the NAIDOC 2024 Person of the Year, recognising her work and her journey.

Holocaust survivor and psychologist Victor Frankle wrote ""Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how'."

But how do we find our 'why'? 

Ronni Kahn and Dr Sam Sphall tease out how to find your meaning in life.

You are trying to get a colleague to stop using disposable coffee cups, but the message just is not getting through.

Increasingly research shows there are psychological benefits to dance, particularly for its role in fostering social connection. 

Psychologist Chris Cheers and choreographer Joel Bray join Luke Siddham Dundon to reflect on the power of dance and what it can mean in our lives.

How well do you know your own family's story? If you sat down with your grandparents, what do you think they'd tell you? 

Andra Putnis' grandmothers grew up in Latvia and experienced first Russian and then German occupation, before coming to Australia following the Second World War.

Growing up, they were simply her family. But as she grew older, Andra became curious about their history and their stories and so she started asking the questions that led to her new book, Stories My Grandmothers Didn't Tell Me.

In January this year best mates Cezary Carmichael and Leo Norman took off on two wheels to do two things, to see and document the 700+ bird species of Australia and to raise money to help build a school in Timor Leste. 

We catch up with the two birders again, eight months later, to see where their journey has taken them.

Star of the Country music scene, Troy Cassar-Daley is known for bringing raw honesty to his music. 

Here he shares the advice that kept him moving forward, the importance supporting others, and learning to accept heartache is part of life.

Over the last decade, dating apps have changed the way we meet, and they've made a few successful businesses very, very wealthy.

But, with concerns over safety, and a rising cost for subscriptions, many of the apps are beginning to see a fall in new users.

For some people, it's a chance to get back to the analog world, whether that's nightclubs, running clubs, or an emerging industry of dating groups.

For others, it's about swearing off relationships for a time, with the hashtag #boysober trending on social platforms.

Lisa Portolan, Anthony Elliott, and Tanya Koens discuss how dating apps have changed the way we relate to each other and to ourselves, and whether it is possible to set them aside completely.

Australia has some of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world with 2 in 3 Australians being diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime. Men are also more at risk of developing and dying from skin cancer than women.

What you might not know is that rates of skin cancer are higher in rural and remote areas and often detected once the cancer is more advanced. 

Researchers in Queensland and South Australia are looking at different ways we can bring down the number of people in rural areas dying from skin cancer and looking at ways we can educate rural communities, especially men, to take skin health more seriously.

Former Prime Minster Julia Gillard has urged for a rethink in how society works with men to combat misogyny. 

With the rise in popularity of figures like Andrew Tate and the so called manosphere, what are the ways to best educate boys and men about respectful relationships and do the current strategies need to change?

If you've not been into your local library for a while you might be surprised by what you find.

There are still plenty of books on the shelves, but many local libraries now run language classes, hold exhibitions, facilitate knitting classes, and some even have social workers on site.

Cathie Warbuton and Christine Bolton explore how libraries are changing, and what role they should play in our communities.

Australia has some of the most magnificent and diverse landscapes in the world. But every year around 3000 people get lost and need rescuing. 

While not all of these are people out bush walking, there are dedicated teams in every state that spend their time rescuing people from hard to reach wilderness places.

So if you're thinking of lacing up your boots and taking to the wilds, what things can you do to keep yourself safe?

Earlier this year, the American Environmental Protection Agency announced there is no safe level of what are known as 'forever chemicals' in drinking water and they're setting new enforceable limits across the US.

Given PFOS and PFOA have been found in tap water around Australia, Australian experts on chemical regulation say we should be following the US example as soon as possible. 

Dr Nick Chartres and Dr Mariann Lloyd-Smith discuss what we know about the presence of these 'forever chemicals' in our national water supply and whether regulatory standards need to change in order to protect our health.

Parenting is a challenging experience for everyone who joins the club, and many of the problems parents confront are common among most others. But for migrant families, cultural differences can bring a new level of angst. The SAARI (South Asian Australians Representing Ideas) Collective decided to make things a little easier by launching a Parenting Hub for the South Asian diaspora and anyone else grappling with complex cultural parenting issues.

Should Australia's real estate industry be not-for-profit?

Australia's private rental sector has burgeoned rapidly over the last two decades as more investors take advantage of generous tax incentives for property profiteering.

But there are growing calls for regulatory changes to make the sector more secure for the 31 percent of households who now rent.

Professor Wendy Stone says banning 'no grounds evictions', making the sector more transparent, and non-profit real estate agencies are just some of the ideas that should be encouraged.

Later this month, as their superstar children take to the sporting stage of the Paris Olympics, parents across Australia will have their hearts in their mouths. What does it take to parent a champion? What sacrifices are made and what is gained in the process? 

A breast cancer diagnosis can be devastating and often requires quick decision making around treatment plans. But the distress around the loss of breasts is often eclipsed by the larger trauma associated with the diagnosis. 

How do we better support women though the decision process around reconstruction and improve access for women seeking it. 

And does the medical profession need to get better at having conversations with patients who don't want to reconstruct about the option of 'going flat?'

You like your neighbour, consider them friends even. Things get a bit strange however when they start to copy some of your choices, starting with the planting of a lavender bush.

Balancing the needs of others against your own can, at times, feel hard. You want to make the people around you feel like their needs matter, but pleasing just for the sake of pleasing can leave you feeling exhausted, resentful, and perhaps even a little compromised. So how do we stop outsourcing our self worth?

Beverley Wang is joined by psychotherapist Dr Zoe Krupka who shares her insights on how to negotiate other people's expectations.

If you listened to Hilary’s series Dated, you will recognise the voice of Kerri Sackville. She is a columnist and author of Out There: a Survival Guide to Dating in Midlife.

Sharing wisdom of a different kind, Kerri unpacks her classification of solitude and why we need to experience it each day if we want to lead creative lives.