Writer Colum McCann with the story of Diane Foley, whose son James was murdered by the Islamic State (CW: this episode contains descriptions of violent acts and terrorism)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

For 100 years Australia has been collecting tens and thousands of letters and diaries from deployed service personnel. These are just some of the moving, beautiful and tragic stories among themBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

When Dr Rhonda Wilson was in year 10, she was told she should drop out of school and settle for becoming "just a mum". This is how Rhonda defied the expectations others, and she, had for herselfBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

From muscle paralysis and sleepwalking, to the power of our subconscious, Dr Sutapa Mukherjee takes you into the secret world of sleepBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

When Ray Kelly Snr's grandfather was asked to translate "telephone" into Gumbayngirr, he responded with “muuya barrigi”, or flying breath (CW: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners please be advised this program contains discussion of people who have died. Please take care when listening)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Pádraig Ó Tuama survived conversion therapy and exorcism as a young gay man in a church in Ireland, then became a leading peace negotiator and a poet (R)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Carly-Jay Metcalfe lives with cystic fibrosis, and has faced a double lung transplant, a rare cancer and other huge medical challenges. But through it all humour and hope have fuelled her survival (CW: this story discusses organ transplant and donation, drug use and self harm)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Writer Lech Blaine on Peter Dutton, the former policeman who became the leader of the Liberal Party of AustraliaBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Scientist Tanya Latty on how a single-cell organism, slime mould, can solve complex problems in some remarkable ways (R)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

What was on the "must-see" lists for tourists in 200 BCE? From the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the Great Pyramids at Giza, historian Bettany Hughes is your tour guide through the seven wonders of the ancient worldBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Journalist Marina Kamenev on the changing story of our families in the 21st century (CW: discusses donor conception)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The investigative reporter reflects on her beloved Ringsend relatives and what drives her work holding powerful organisations to account (CW: discussion of suicide and confronting material)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Tom Gleeson discovered and honed his distinctively caustic, laconic style of humour in some unlikely places (R)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Dean Summers became a long-distance swimmer in midlife. Now he swims with sharks, jellyfish and bioluminescence in wild oceans around the worldBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

For writer James Bradley, the ocean is the connective tissue that holds all of life on Earth together. But how did it get here in the first place?By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

From the rodeo to the dining room table, this is a collection of strange, funny and sombre stories from real familiesBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Glennon was the world's most famous Christian mummy blogger when she fell wildly in love with U.S Women's Soccer star Abby Wambach (R)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Ayesha Jehangir left her rural village to get a better education; she left Pakistan to explore Afghanistan; and she left an abusive marriage to find her place in Australia. But she remains deeply proud of her Pashtun rootsBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Bri Lee on the brutal series of events which began her life as a writer tackling injustice in our courts, the beauty industry, and in our schools (CW: description of legal processes relating to sexual assault)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Phil Kafcaloudes grew up hearing stories about his legendary grandmother Olga, who became a spy for the British in WWII. When he grew up, he went in search of her story (R)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Jane Fonda's big life has included Barbarella, activism, three husbands, workout videos and hair epiphanies. Now in her 80s, she's devoting her energy to raising awareness about climate change (R)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The oud virtuoso reflects on his path to the instrument, via a stamp collection and an Egyptian movie starBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Best-selling crime writer Candice Fox has written 17 books. But she also has a second life hurtling around Sydney rescuing stranded wallabies, cockatoos, possums, lizards and frogsBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

David Goodwin spent years working the graveyard shift at his local service station in the outer suburbs of Melbourne. The grungy work quickly took over his lifeBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Australia's first Pasifika university Professor, Jioji Ravulo was just a boy with the flu when a trip to his father's homeland turned him into a chiefBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Anton Clifford-Motopi didn't see a face that looked like his until he became a father. And it would take several more years before he learned who he truly wasBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Ecologist David Lindenmayer first went into the Mountain Ash forests of Victoria in search of the tiny Leadbeater Possum, and he discovered an amazing world of songbirds, rare gliders, and fierce leechesBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Football tragic Andy Paschalidis was in his 50s when a dear friend and fellow player died during an over-35s soccer game. The tragedy altered the course of his lifeBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The former frontman uncovered boxes from his adolescence in his attic, and he was amazed at his early, detailed plans to take over the music industry (R)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

What would a human settlement on Mars look like? How would humans procreate in space? And what on earth is a 'snuggle tube'? These are all questions Dr Kelly Weinersmith is trying to answerBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

When Jonathan Rosen was a child he had a neighbourhood friend called Michael Laudor. Their very similar pathways in life dramatically, and darkly, diverged after they graduated from Yale UniversityBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

When Zoya Patel became besotted with horses as a child, she could never have imagined how they would help shape her life and relationshipsBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Shaun Christie-David's parents came to Australia fleeing civil war in Sri Lanka. By age 13, he knew he wanted to be a banker. But life inside the world of money and Maseratis was nothing like he'd imaginedBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Marcus Fillinger has taken his military experience and wildlife rescue charity to Ukraine, where, as a civilian, he evacuates abandoned lions, wolves and caracals from active war zonesBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

After a dispiriting stint as a Chartered Accountant, Ross found his perfect job: explaining the Australian economy, in plain English, to millions of peopleBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

As a teenager, Jodi Rodgers got a job as a disability support worker and met a 6-year-old girl who would change her lifeBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

When Pauline McGrath's husband David was diagnosed with a brain tumour, she supported him as he chose a different path to death (CW: discussion of death and dying)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Some of the wildest stories about Roman emperors involve playing the violin while watching the city burn, and appointing a horse as consul. Classicist Mary Beard is fascinated by how much truth there could be to these talesBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Deeply ashamed of what he had done, Mic Whitty retreated into the Welsh wilderness for almost a year. Eventually an unexpected goal pulled him out of homelessness and back into the worldBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Satu Vanska grew up in Japan as the child of Lutheran Missionaries. When the family moved back to Finland, she felt isolated and alien. But Satu knew she had a ticket out - her violinBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The podcaster and comedian on her early life in Queensland, where she yearned to wear a coat; lessons from improv comedy; and how eyebrows were the key to finding her biological family (R)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

As a child Trent was a quiet observer of the drama of his family and his neighbourhood. He became an award-winning writer (R)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Brigitte Muir's dream to climb the seven highest mountains on each of the seven continents took much longer and cost her more than she expected, but she also discovered more about herself than she could have imaginedBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Dr Jayashri Kulkarni on her Indian-Australian upbringing and her groundbreaking research into women's hormones and mental healthBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Federal MP Andrew Leigh is a former professor of economics who is fascinated by how economics can create magicBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

How Jeanne Ryckmans fell for a dashing Irish Professor who was far from what he appeared to beBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Historian Alison Bashford with the story of the Huxley family, who founded one of the great dynasties of the worldBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Dominic Riley on how a chance encounter with a bookbinding monk named Brother Bede changed the course of his life (R)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Australia's storyteller in song on the poems he's loved since childhood, and how reading and learning great poetry has changed his songwriting (R)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Artist David Rankin on his turbulent early life as a the son of a bootmaker, his unexpected path into painting, and his passionate love story with writer Lily Brett (R)By Australian Broadcasting Corporation