Really Interesting Women - the Podcast


Ep. 126 MOYA DODD AO

Moya Dodd is a lawyer, sports administrator and a former vice-captain of Australia’s women’s football team, the Matildas.

She played in FIFA’s first ever women’s tournament in 1988. Twenty-five years later, she joined the governing body of FIFA as one of the first women in its 108-year history. It's unsurprising that when she was there she found the place was rife with integrity and gender issues. She was one of only 3 of 27 FIFA Executive Committee members who declined a $25,000 gift watch at the 2014 World Cup. A year later, she found herself in a luxury Zurich hotel as her colleagues were arrested in a dawn raid.

As the 'FIFAGate' scandals unfolded, Moya led the #womeninFIFA reform movement, becoming ‘the driving force in the recent push for women within FIFA’ (New York Times) and ‘one of the most credible and outspoken voices for change within the organization’ (Vice Sports).

In 2016 she was named the most influential woman in Australia by the Australian Financial Review, and in 2018 was named by Forbes magazine as the 7th most powerful woman in international sport (outside the US).

In 2020, Moya was listed in WICC's global "Best XI" for advancing women's soccer.

She is a much sought after speaker on the international circuit on many topics including issues of equality, integrity, and change.

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Really Interesting Women - the Podcast

Episode 125

Dr Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli AM

It's hard to briefly describe Maria's bio - but it goes a long way explaining it by understanding she is from a Southern Italian poor, migrant, working class background which instilled in her a resistance to systemic injustice.

She has been an academic, author, activist and ally in the issues and intersections of cultural diversity, gender and sexual diversity, relationship and family diversity for over 30 years.

...and it was a really insightful discussion which was based on a lifetime's experience and an academic understanding. But it was never laced with anger or contempt or masked with utter disappointment and there were no accusations of inaction by those that could change things. Rather, it was a discussion to help others understand the effect a lack of diversity and acceptance can have. And how to fix that. By way of example, there is a lot written and said about 'safe environments' - and although I think I know what that means, when I asked her what an 'unsafe environment' looks like...I acquired a much better understanding.

Maria is regularly called upon to act as a consultant in educational, workplace, youth services, health services and community service settings. Maria is also regularly invited to speak at diverse community, educational, organisational and other functions and conferences, and in various media such as television, radio and newspaper.

Head to the link in my bio to have a listen to Maria's podcast.

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

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Really Interesting Women - the Podcast


Ep. 124

Catherine Branson AC KC

In 1984 Catherine Branson made history when a dual appointment saw her became the first woman in Australia to be appointed Crown Solicitor and the first woman to be appointed as permanent head of a government department in South Australia.

She went to the bar in Adelaide and then took silk in 1992. An appointment as a judge to the Federal Court of Australia followed in 1994. In 2008 she was appointed President of the Australian Human Rights Commission. The following year she was appointed Human Rights Commissioner. A few months ago, it was announced that my guest would serve a 3rd term as Chancellor of the University of Adelaide.

An extraordinary career and her work with the Human Rights Commission gave her the opportunity and the platform to give a voice to immigrants detained indefinitely and to support the rights of Indigenous Australians.

Another true pioneer who paved the way for others.

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Episode 123

AMBER LAWRENCE

Amber started her professional career as a Chartered Accountant but she left that to pursue a dream.

After a very successful debut in the 2005 Tamworth Country Music Festival - coming second in the major singing competition to Jessica Mauboy - Amber took that success and started her country music journey in earnest. She put in a lot of hard work and was constantly touring. It paid off as she became one of Australia’s leading female country singers. But that’s not just my opinion. She’s won 6 Golden Guitars, including Female Artist of the Year at the 2023 Golden Guitar Awards.

On the way to that success she has toured the world, entertained Australian troops overseas and even went to New York to play a song she wrote to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea - in front of the President of the United States and the Australian PM (and 800 others).

In July 2022, she released her tenth studio album, Living for the Highlights, which reached number 1 on the ARIA charts and the Australian Country Music charts.

Head to Amber's website for info on her touring dates and a link to her albums.
www.amberlawrence.com.au

Head to the link in my bio to have a listen to our conversation.

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

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Really Interesting Women - the podcast

Ep. 122

Professor Julie Rrap

Julie has been a central figure in Australian contemporary art for 4 decades. Our conversation covers a lot and I guess that was inevitable given her enormous contribution to art both in Australia and internationally.

She has worked with photography, painting, sculpture, performance and video in an ongoing project concerned with representations of the body with a particular emphasis on the female body within western art history.

Julie has been described as one of Australia's leading feminist artists. Since her first exhibition in 1982, she has been consistently committed to the exploration of the role—or absence of roles—of women in the history of art.

Throughout her career she has exhibited extensively throughout Europe and Australia.

She completed her PhD in 2010 and is currently Co-Director and Co-Chair of Sydney College of the Arts.





Image: Simon Schluter

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Podcast Episode 121

Distinguished Professor Jenny Graves AC FAA

Jenny Graves is a leading evolutionary geneticist who was a very early adopter of gene mapping. She uses genome comparisons to explore the origin, function and fate of human sex genes and chromosomes. In other words, exploring what is it that makes us male, and female and she’s also explored the evolution of the so called ‘gay gene’ and the genetics of transgenderism.

She’s a Distinguished Professor at La Trobe University, is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and the US National Academy of Science, 2006 L’Oreal-UNESCO Laureate for Women in Science, and she won the 2017 Australian Prime Minister’s Prize for Science (the first woman to win solo). In 2022 she was elevated to our highest honour, Companion of the Order of Australia.

She knows what she's talking about.

Join me for a really interesting discussion. Head to the link in my bio to her podcast episode.

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Really Interesting Women - The podcast


Episode 120

Del Kathryn Barton


Del Kathryn Barton is one of Australia’s most recognisable and collectable artists.

She’s now widely recognised as one of Australia's leading figurative painters and a 2-time Archibald Prize winner. Only the second woman to do that in the 103 year history of that portrait prize.

Her first year out of art college she had the extraordinary honour of being hung in the prestigious Sulman Art Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW.

All of this is a very long way from her isolated and unconventional rural upbringing where her father was attempting to build a house from scratch (as an untrained builder) while the family lived in tents and other temporary shelters.

She openly talks about her mental health issues which went largely undiagnosed. It was her mother that suggested she take up drawing as a child to overcome these crippling attacks. And that’s where it started.

It’s a fascinating, open, fun, funny conversation. And she gave me the secret to her success. It’s no secret.... it’s been discussed by most of the women on this podcast series. Hard work. Really hard work. And passion for the work.

Head to the link in my bio to listen to Del’s episode. Or go to your usual podcast platform and search Really Interesting Women. It’ll be there.

Image: Eugene Hyland

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Really Interesting Women - Podcast

Revisited on 'Throwback Thursday'

Anna Funder Ep. 105.

Anna Funder is one of Australia’s most acclaimed and awarded writers and an international success. One of her books is currently being made into a film with a Hollywood household name as its protagonist.

...and she dreamed of being a writer since she was a child.

Anna spent her early childhood in Paris where her father was working. First day at primary school was a little tricky. Didn’t understand what anyone was saying. She subsequently learnt to read and write in 2 languages. And from that moment, words were her obsession.

She started her working life as a lawyer and gave up what she called “probably the best lawyer job in Australia”, working in the Attorney General’s department on treaty negotiations and international law. But she didn’t feel like it was her ‘real life’.

She made a life changing decision to move to Berlin and become a writer. The full story can be heard on the podcast including, while promoting her book ‘Stasiland’, going on a public stage in Germany where the first 2 rows were occupied by ex-Stasi, all taking notes!

That 2003 book Stasiland won, amongst many other things, the Samuel Johnson Prize which is for the best non-fiction writing in the English language (!!). Actor Tom Hanks described it as 'fascinating, entertaining, hilarious, horrifying and very important.'

Her 2012 novel, All That I Am, won a myriad of awards including the very prestigious Miles Franklin Award.

In her recently released book, Wifedom, Anna uncovers George Orwell’s ‘forgotten’ wife Eileen O’Shaughnessy, and rewrites her into history. Geraldine Brooks described the book as, 'Simply, a masterpiece'.

Her books are important because of the truths they reveal. They are beautifully researched and exquisitely told.

Have a listen to this fascinating conversation. Head to the link in my bio or copy and paste this link into your browser:

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/really-interesting-women/id1526764849?i=1000619409426

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

Visit instagram @reallyinterestingwomen for further interviews and posts of interesting women in history.

Follow the link to leave a review....and tell your friends
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/really-interesting-women/id1526764849