Best Brown Two Sisters Podcasts (2025)

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The physics and feeling of floating — why Angelica learnt to swim 42:30

23m ago42:30

42:30

Angelica Ojinnaka-Psillakis grew up in Sydney, famous for its coastline and beachside existence. But for reasons beyond her control, she didn't learn to swim until she took the plunge as an adult. Angelica Ojinnaka-Psillakis has achieved a lot in her young life. She is a social researcher at Western Sydney University, she has represented Australia …

1
Love_Comes_to_Andy_Brown 29:51

2d ago29:51

29:51

Love_Comes_to_Andy_Brown

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Encore: Grief, loss and the healing power of the natural world 50:18

3d ago50:18

50:18

In 2013, Raynor Winn and her husband, Moth lost their beloved farm in Wales, it was where they'd lived for 20 years and raised their children. In the same week, Moth was diagnosed with a rare degenerative brain disease and doctors gave him just two years to live. Homeless and with their future together rapidly shrinking, Raynor and Moth decided to …

1
The epic escape story of four ANZAC POWs — through the Italian Alps to freedom 50:06

4d ago50:06

50:06

Writer and tour guide Simon Tancred on the little-known ANZAC story of how a group of POWs made a daring escape on foot to neutral Switzerland. Simon Tancred fell in love with Italy as a young man, and set up a job for himself leading hikes and tours across the country, and into the Alps. So Simon was familiar with the old trails and passes that cr…

1
Made in Burnie — Justin Heazlewood on swapping fame for his hometown 52:00

5d ago52:00

52:00

Justin Heazlewood fled a complicated early life in Tasmania searching for fame as an artist on the mainland. Recently he moved back to his home town of Burnie, and realised community is where you find it. Justin Heazlewood grew up in Burnie, a coastal town on the North West coast of Tasmania. For years he imagined his hometown as somewhere he had t…

1
From Manila to Sydney — how Loribelle found family, love and her art 52:00

6d ago52:00

52:00

The artist Loribelle Spirovski on her unusual childhood in the Philippines, meeting her father for the first time at 7 years old, and making her way as one of Australia's most exciting young painters. Loribelle Spirovski grew up in the Philippines, with her mum and her extended Filipino family. Her Serbian father, whom she had never met, was in Aus…

1
The_Philadelphia_Story 58:00

10d ago58:00

58:00

The_Philadelphia_Story

1
Encore: The poker-playing cardiologist 52:30

10d ago52:30

52:30

As a child, before she escaped communist Hungary, Bo Remenyi had no ambitions. But when she got to Australia all of that changed. She's gone from cruising the casino floor as a high-stakes professional poker player, to saving the lives of children in remote Australia. (R) In 2018, Dr Bo Remenyi was made the Northern Territory’s Australian of the Ye…

1
Miles Franklin's secret life as a 'boy sober' undercover maid 48:30

11d ago48:30

48:30

Journalist Kerrie Davies with the story of how novelist Miles Franklin went undercover as a maid for a year, in Sydney and Melbourne's wealthy houses, well before gonzo journalists became household names. The real-life story of novelist Stella Maria Miles Franklin had an unexpected chapter after publishing My Brilliant Career. In 1903, Miles became…

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The life-changing power of a choir 51:06

12d ago51:06

51:06

Song propelled Morris Stuart from his early life shepherding sheep in British Guyana to an unlikely love story in London. In his retirement, he found himself shaping a choir of Central Australian Aboriginal women, who had been breathing life into 138-year-old Lutheran hymns. Morris Stuart met his Australian wife, Barbara in London in the 1960s. The…

1
Introducing: Harlem Queen 13:37

13d ago13:37

13:37

Today we're sharing the first episode of Harlem Queen, a historical audio drama detailing the powerful story of “Policy Queen” and “gangster” Madame Stephanie St. Clair. Madame St. Clair had a powerful impact on building the Harlem community underground and aboveground and defining the Harlem Renaissance. Our goal is for you to be entertained, educ…

1
The wisdom of an ancient Pencil Pine 52:12

13d ago52:12

52:12

Nature writer Andrew Darby on what he learned from his rambles through the wilds of Tasmania, communing with the world’s oldest surviving trees. In particular, his ‘buttock clenching’ ascent up a 60-metre-tall eucalyptus known as The Vibe Tower. Nature writer, Andrew Darby spent more than 20 years as a Fairfax correspondent based in Tasmania. His s…

1
A_Child_Shall_Lead_Them 11:11

17d ago11:11

11:11

A_Child_Shall_Lead_Them

1
Encore: A daring escape from Vietnam to the halls of prestigious American universities 50:48

17d ago50:48

50:48

Anh Nguyen Austen's family fled Vietnam by sea in 1982, on a wooden boat bound for the Philippines. When a once-in-a-century storm struck in the South China Sea, they thought all hope was lost (R) Anh is an academic and community volunteer who grew up in Vietnam in a Catholic family. Anh's childhood was idyllic, with a big extended family and a clo…

1
How Vincent Fantauzzo's life was saved by love and painting 52:00

18d ago52:00

52:00

When artist Vincent Fantauzzo was a boy he was a street-fighting petty criminal with dyslexia and a blazing talent for drawing. He escaped jail time, and grew up to become one of Australia's most well-known portrait artists. VIncent Fantauzzo is one of Australia's most successful portrait artists. For his luminous, photo-realistic paintings he's wo…

1
'Mistakes were made' — a live storytelling experience 52:22

19d ago52:22

52:22

Rebecca Huntley, Rick Morton, Julia Zemiro and Sarah Kanowski bring you stories of human failure, misadventure and outright fiasco in a live storytelling event recorded at Adelaide Writers Week. A few weeks ago, some former guests of Conversations, and our two presenters gathered at the Adelaide Town Hall. The event was a live storytelling hour, wi…

1
Two sisters, Dod and Brattle - the lesbian poet, and the evangelical Christian 54:18

20d ago54:18

54:18

Josie McSkimming on growing up with her bohemian sister, the poet Dorothy Porter, and how their lives took off on wildly diverging paths as they grew up. Sisters Dorothy and Josie Porter grew up in an interesting and sometimes volatile home on the northern beaches of Sydney in the 1970s. Together with their middle sister Mary, they lived in a world…

1
Jason and Isabelle Revisit My Mother Made Me 6:09

21d ago6:09

6:09

In October 2024, Apple Podcasts launched a new initiative to highlight narrative series, including designating a new show every month as a Series Essential, celebrating the finest storytelling and the medium’s greatest achievements. My Mother Made Me is the March 2025 selection. For this special occasion, we asked Jason to sit down with his mother …

1
Two_Heads_Are_Better_Than_One 11:30

24d ago11:30

11:30

Two_Heads_Are_Better_Than_One

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Encore: Doctor Koppe — PTSD and me 52:06

24d ago52:06

52:06

Hilton Koppe was a beloved country GP for 30 years before an unexpected health crisis of his own forced him to reassess everything (R) Hilton Koppe grew up knowing his parents wanted him to become a doctor and so when he got the marks to make it into medicine, they were overjoyed. By the time he was 30, he'd started working as a country GP. Hilton …

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Shaking — escaping the grip of a lifelong tremor 51:18

25d ago51:18

51:18

Journalist and author Sonya Voumard on the rare neurological condition that has stalked her since a family tragedy during her childhood. Sonya Voumard was on the precipice of teen hood when her father suddenly and unexpectedly died. In the months following his death, Sonya developed a tremor in her right hand, not dissimilar to the shaking she some…

1
Loneliness — it's not only you 52:18

26d ago52:18

52:18

Loneliness is a universal experience, for each of us at some point in our lives. Journalist Ros Thomas travelled the world to investigate, and find the antidote. Ros spent a year travelling around the world to research something all of us have experienced — loneliness. She met an old man who had learned to thrive through crushing grief with the hel…

1
Alternate Realities from Embedded 27:55

27d ago27:55

27:55

Today, we're sharing the first episode of a new limited-run series from NPR's Embedded, "Alternate Realities". Zach Mack and his dad are living in separate realities, and it's tearing their family apart. Like so many Americans, Zach's dad has gotten swept up in conspiracy theories. After years of circular arguments, the father challenged his son to…

1
The fearless Kate McClymont — weathering death threats and court cases for work 53:30

27d ago53:30

53:30

The chief investigative reporter on her work exposing criminals and corruption, including former politician, Eddie Obeid and financial fraudster, Melissa Caddick. Kate McClymont is chief investigative reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. She grew up on a farm in NSW, and during university, funded her start in Sydney by setting up a busking booth…

1
Slings_and_Arrows_of_Outrageous_Fortune 14:35

1M ago14:35

14:35

Slings_and_Arrows_of_Outrageous_Fortune

1
Encore: Krystyna Duszniak and Poland's lost histories 52:04

1M ago52:04

52:04

As a young woman, Krystyna thought her father had taught her everything about Poland’s history, but she didn’t know that what he’d left out would become a focus of her life (R) Growing up, Krystyna Duszniak's father didn't speak a word of English to her, instilling in her a love of the Polish language, literature, history and culture. As the child …

1
Life on the lam — how Peter escaped from under his fugitive father's shadow 53:00

1M ago53:00

53:00

Peter Norris's father was a notorious bank robber who lived life on the run, dragging his boy across the country with him, until Peter refused to go with him one last time. It was the hardest decision he ever had to make. Peter Norris grew up on the run with his criminal father, Clarence 'Clarry' Norris. Every time Clarry was arrested, he would fin…

1
Martha, baby Michael and the police officer who cried 49:00

1M ago49:00

49:00

Martha Jabour was a young mum when her baby son Michael died suddenly. In the thick of her grief, she worried for the devastated young police officer who had come to her home that day, before he unexpectedly reappeared in her life (CW: this conversation discusses the death of a child). Martha Jabour has lived through the worst possible day for a pa…

1
Undercover hitmen, shady drug deals and covert surveillance — life as a top cop 53:00

1M ago53:00

53:00

While working as an undercover cop, Nick Kaldas played a drug baron in the market for vast quantities of hemp oil, tracked a fugitive with a penchant for hair transplants, and posed as a hit man for a spurned lover. Nick was a 21-year-old immigrant lad from Egypt when he decided to join the NSW Police Force. He soon rose up the ranks from working a…

1
Romantic_Life_VS_Marital_Love 14:34

1M ago14:34

14:34

Romantic_Life_VS_Marital_Love

1
Encore: Andy Paschalidis on the death on the football pitch which changed everything 48:30

1M ago48:30

48:30

Football tragic Andy Paschalidis was in his 50s when a dear friend and fellow player died during an over-35s soccer game. The tragedy inspired him to begin a whole new story for himself, and the sport (R) Andy grew up in Sydney's Balmain when it was a working-class suburb, full of migrant families. His parents had arrived in Australia from Greece a…

1
Tim Winton on staying alive, in extremis 47:24

1M ago47:24

47:24

Australian writer Tim Winton on the stories which inspired his latest novel, 'Juice', a story of determination, survival, and the limits of the human spirit. 'Juice' is an astonishing feat of imagination. It takes us to a far-off future on a superheated planet, where people must live like desert frogs in Northwest Australia. They go underground for…

1
Love, death and duels — Marie Curie's radioactive life 53:54

1M ago53:54

53:54

The Polish-French physicist and chemist is famous for discovering radium, but Marie Curie was more than her accomplishments. From 'the flying university' to great loves and losses, Dava Sobel investigates her extraordinary life. Marie Curie was the first woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize, and the first person to win a second Nobel Prize. But alongs…

1
Red for Revolution 6 - I Love Paris 41:30

1M ago41:30

41:30

As tensions escalate and hearts are both shattered and healed, our season one love story reaches its climax in the City of Love. Jazmine’s family surprises her with a graduation trip to Paris, but little do they know, she has a surprise of her own in store. Red for Revolution is created, written, and directed by Jana Naomi Smith with Musical Direct…

1
Could you live forever? The neuroscience behind brain preservation, consciousness and death 50:18

1M ago50:18

50:18

Would you want to live for longer? Forever? Have your mind preserved and uploaded into something non-human? And is it even possible? Neuroscientist Dr Ariel Zeleznikow explores challenging ideas about life and death. From adding a few decades onto a life span, to suspending the aging process altogether, and more radically, uploading a preserved bra…

1
A life in the law, on the Glitter Strip 50:48

1M ago50:48

50:48

Gold Coast lawyer Chris Nyst on his 45 years in criminal law, defending career criminals, going head to head with corrupt police, heroin addicts and a postcard bandit (R) When Chris Nyst finished studying law in the mid 1970s, he moved to a town by the beach to begin his life as a lawyer, not because it was a glitzy and glamorous city back then, bu…

1
For_Richer_for_Poorer 14:28

1M ago14:28

14:28

For_Richer_for_Poorer

1
Encore: A restaurant named Parwana — Afghan treasure in Adelaide 47:36

2M ago47:36

47:36

Durkhanai Ayubi and her family keep alive the stories and flavours they carried to Australia from Afghanistan, in the dining room of their 'accidental' and thriving restaurant (R) Durkhanai was two years old when she and her family came to Australia from Afghanistan. She grew up with stories of the old country from her parents, but her most powerfu…

1
How Geraldine Brooks learned how to live again through grief 52:18

2M ago52:18

52:18

Writer Geraldine Brooks on love, grief and letting go after her husband died in a shocking and unexpected way. In 2019, Australian writer Geraldine Brooks was forced into a world of practicalities when her beloved husband, Tony, collapsed on the street in the United States and died. She had to immediately manage finances and family life, organise a…

1
Singing for her life: Camille O'Sullivan on Ireland and her dearly departed friends 44:12

2M ago44:12

44:12

It took a catastrophic car accident for the singer and actress to leave a decorated career in architecture and focus on her artistic ambitions, including a tribute show to her friends Sinead O'Connor, and Shane MacGowan of The Pogues. Irish-French singer and performer Camille O’Sullivan grew up in County Cork, with her Irish father and French mothe…

1
Red for Revolution 5 - Send in the Clowns 43:11

2M ago43:11

43:11

As tensions between Jazmine and her mother boil over, Grandma Ella steps in, guiding the three women to confront the painful reality of intergenerational homophobia. Meanwhile, back in the 1970s, the stakes soar for Ella and Lorraine’s relationship as young Ella is falsely accused of a crime. Red for Revolution is created, written, and directed by …

1
Finding my dad, and myself — unravelling a family's secret 49:48

2M ago49:48

49:48

Lindsey Fidler’s quest to find her biological father started with jazz and an American Air Force Base. It ended with a trip to the U.S. through a disastrous free flights promotion run by the British division of Hoover Vacuums. Sociologist Lindsey Fidler’s parents met and married in the 1960s in East Anglia, United Kingdom. They would go to jazz clu…