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In this episode, we talk to Melinda French Gates. Famous as one half of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – one of the largest philanthropic outfits in the world – Melinda spent more than two decades overseeing the giving-away of more than $US77 billion. Then, in 2021, she and Bill divorced after 27 years of marriage, and Melinda began to chart a new path for her life. That new path is the subject of a feature profile in this week's magazine – "The 'Gigantic Joy' of a Fresh Start" – in which Gates discusses the end of her marriage, the hard-won pleasures of personal growth, and philanthropy in Trump's America. She joins us today to chat about all that and more, with Good Weekend senior writer, Amanda Hooton.

 

In this episode, we talk to Melinda French Gates. Famous as one half of the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation &ndash; one of the largest philanthropic outfits in the world &ndash; Melinda spent more than two decades overseeing the giving-away of more than $US77 billion. Then, in 2021, she and Bill divorced after 27 years of marriage, and Melinda began to chart a new path for her life. That new path is the subject of a feature profile in this week's magazine &ndash; "The 'Gigantic Joy' of a Fresh Start" &ndash; in which Gates discusses the end of her marriage, the hard-won pleasures of personal growth, and philanthropy in Trump's America. She joins us today to chat about all that and more, with Good Weekend senior writer, Amanda Hooton.
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Good Weekend Talks features in-depth conversations with the people fascinating Australians right now, from sport to politics to the arts, business and beyond, interviewed weekly by the country's top journalists. Consider it a magazine for your ears.

Good Weekend Talks features in-depth conversations with the people fascinating Australians right now, from sport to politics to the arts, business and beyond, interviewed weekly by the country's top journalists. Consider it a magazine for your ears.

Good Weekend Talks

New episodes from ongoing Metro podcast series. 

New episodes from ongoing Metro podcast series.&nbsp;

New episodes

Melinda French Gates on perfectionism and pain, parenting and philanthropy

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/88b564ea-a9a6-4751-910a-a5d800019396/clips/5d99d4db-0e84-4fc3-86b9-b2bb00d0376e/transcript

Social media was once harnessed by Barack Obama to spread hope. Now “angertainers” are exploiting our human instinct to seek threat to divide society and to build their own cultural, political and social capital, often based on misinformation and lies.
They create content for platforms that reward stunts, insults and anger – in the process, distorting reality and hijacking any possibility of a considered debate.
In this episode of Good Weekend Talks, Ed Coper, author of Angertainment: How Social Media Outrage Ruined Everything, explains how and why that happens, why you can't stop clicking on things that make you angry – and what we can all do about it. This conversation is hosted by Good Weekend senior writer Greg Callaghan.

Social media was once harnessed by Barack Obama to spread hope. Now &ldquo;angertainers&rdquo; are exploiting our human instinct to seek threat to divide society and to build their own cultural, political and social capital, often based on misinformation and lies. They create content for platforms that reward stunts, insults and anger &ndash; in the process, distorting reality and hijacking any possibility of a considered debate. In this episode of Good Weekend Talks, Ed Coper, author of Angertainment: How Social Media Outrage Ruined Everything, explains how and why that happens, why you can't stop clicking on things that make you angry &ndash; and what we can all do about it. This conversation is hosted by Good Weekend senior writer Greg Callaghan.

'Angertainers' are dividing society: Author Ed Coper explains why we fall for 'rage bait'

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/88b564ea-a9a6-4751-910a-a5d800019396/clips/75b71cfc-3d4e-4be9-82d6-b44a01894571/transcript

Bob Brown has spent the past 50 years trying to make people put the planet before profit. The environmental crusader, former senator and medical doctor, and founding member of the Wilderness Society has fought pivotal battles, including campaigns to save the Franklin River and the Swift parrot. He also practises what he preaches: he has lived sustainably for decades in a one-bedroom home.
Today, to celebrate the 300th episode of Good Weekend Talks, deputy editor Konrad Marshall interviews Brown live on stage at the Melbourne Writers Festival.
This episode comes to you from the State Library of Victoria, where we are joined by a live audience for a conversation that will cover everything from the origin of the term "tree-hugger" to how Brown still finds optimism in the face of massive challenges facing the world.

Bob Brown has spent the past 50 years trying to make people put the planet before profit. The environmental crusader, former senator and medical doctor, and founding member of the Wilderness Society has fought pivotal battles, including campaigns to save the Franklin River and the Swift parrot. He also practises what he preaches: he has lived sustainably for decades in a one-bedroom home. Today, to celebrate the 300th episode of Good Weekend Talks, deputy editor Konrad Marshall interviews Brown live on stage at the Melbourne Writers Festival. This episode comes to you from the State Library of Victoria, where we are joined by a live audience for a conversation that will cover everything from the origin of the term "tree-hugger" to how Brown still finds optimism in the face of massive challenges facing the world.

300th episode: Bob Brown on finding optimism – live at the Melbourne Writers Festival

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/88b564ea-a9a6-4751-910a-a5d800019396/clips/7405350c-3dff-4c4d-9bd9-b445006c5bf1/transcript

You might know her best from Shaun Micallef's Mad as Hell, but over the past 20 years, Christie Whelan Browne has become one of the most in-demand stars of the Australian stage, appearing in Britney Spears: The Cabaret, The Producers, Shane Warne: The Musical and Muriel's Wedding.

But the thing that has kept her in the headlines is no laughing matter – the allegations of sexual harassment she made against her Rocky Horror Show co-star Craig McLachlan in late 2017.

Today, Whelan Browne takes a break from rehearsing a musical version of All About Eve to chat about everything from our shifting attitudes to Britney Spears, the joy of an IVF baby and the stress of living through three very public court cases over six years.

Today's episode is hosted by senior culture writer, Karl Quinn.

 

Further reading
Karl Quinn's story 'Even today, the cost continues.'

You might know her best from Shaun Micallef's Mad as Hell, but over the past 20 years, Christie Whelan Browne has become one of the most in-demand stars of the Australian stage, appearing in Britney Spears: The Cabaret, The Producers, Shane Warne: The Musical and Muriel's Wedding.
But the thing that has kept her in the headlines is no laughing matter &ndash; the allegations of sexual harassment she made against her Rocky Horror Show co-star Craig McLachlan in late 2017.
Today, Whelan Browne takes a break from rehearsing a musical version of&nbsp;All About Eve to chat about everything from our shifting attitudes to Britney Spears, the joy of an IVF baby and the stress of living through three very public court cases over six years.
Today's episode is hosted by senior culture writer, Karl Quinn.
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Further reading
<ul>
<li>Karl Quinn's story <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/culture/theatre/christie-whelan-browne-on-britney-spears-craig-mclachlan-and-ageing-up-20260425-p5zr0x.html?utm_source=omny&amp;utm_medium=podcast_notes&amp;utm_campaign=good_weekend_talks&amp;utm_content=&amp;utm_term=newsroom">'Even today, the cost continues.'</a></li>
</ul>

‘Even today, the cost continues’: Christie Whelan Browne on speaking out

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/88b564ea-a9a6-4751-910a-a5d800019396/clips/56e8e24e-296a-45f5-b866-b43c015c03bd/transcript

Melinda French Gates on perfectionism and pain, parenting and philanthropy

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