Max Heerey didn’t know what he was getting into when he invited a fellow Hobart (Aust) runner out for a jog late in 2020.As it turned out, he had just organised a date with Grace Tame, who was named Australian of the Year 2021 just a couple of

Brett Ashby - a Rolling & Flowing Contemporary Artist

May 13th, 2021 21m 15s

Melbourne based public, performance and contemporary artist, Brett Ashby talks to John McKenna on ‘So…’ podcast about flowing, ‘rolling’, and growth through art, creation, and connection.In his 15-year journey as both a local and international

How to Lose Friends & Influence White People

Mar 11th, 2021 22m 52s

Why are all television newsreaders blonde?This is something Antoinette asked herself when she was at the gym almost 4 years ago and confronted with a sea of blonde newsreaders across every news show that was being broadcast. She looked from th

The Power of Representation and Role Modelling

Feb 9th, 2021 20m 48s

International students in the Australian news and media often carry the negative connotations of being "foreign", "problems" that are "exploited".Belle Lim is here to challenge that stereotype.Coming from Malaysia at the age of 17, Belle co

Women's Experiences of Violence Across the Lifespan

Jan 27th, 2021 20m 21s

CONTENT WARNING: Violence against women and abuse.Violence against women is a major global public health problem. In Australia, one in six women have experienced violence from an intimate partner and more than one woman a week dies as a resul

Disability Advocacy & Counselling, Working together

Dec 1st, 2020 30m 29s

In Australia we live in a world of 'Royal Commissions'. Currently, the conversations are around the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability (known as the Disability Royal Commission). To dive in

Shedding leaf light with Trace Balla

Nov 23rd, 2020 21m 36s

Children's author and illustrator Trace Balla has always had a great fascination with trees and nature.Growing up, if she felt lonely she found companionship and comfort in the tree that grew in her garden. She called this her 'tree friend'.

The strength in being vulnerable - Rugare Gomo

Oct 16th, 2020 26m 59s

In Australia we rely on the Western media to hear about what's happening across the globe. It shows us filtered versions of important world events and the voices of people these news stories are about can often be missed.Rugare Gomo, founder

SHHHH! Can we talk for a moment about turning down the noise?

Oct 9th, 2020 40m 22s

It may sound like a contradiction, to have a chat about being more quiet. But that's exactly what John does with Christine Jackman in this podcast.Christine's 20-year career as a journalist took her to New York as a foreign correspondent and

Danielle Matthews "How do I tell stories?...I sing"

Oct 8th, 2020 21m 36s

The creative behind I've Never BIN to Me (YouTube) joins the So...Podcast to talk about the power of music.After taking inspiration from the viral Facebook page 'Bin Isolation Outing', which encouraged individuals in lockdown to fancy dress w

Drawing the talk with Simon Kneebone

Oct 3rd, 2020 23m 6s

In this episode John chats with Simon Kneebone - a cartoonist who's work has been featured in a number of places, including many social and community organisations. Simon had his start as a cartoonist by simply doodling and drawing pictures dur

Listening or pretending to?

Oct 3rd, 2020 31m 11s

John and Oscar Trimboli, who is what some might call a professional listener, discuss the finer points of listening.Oscar is an expert in communication whose goal is to create 100 million deep listeners worldwide. He highlights how listening

Violence against women, walking without fear

Sep 4th, 2020 12m 26s

Alix Sampson a young, bisexual and socially innovative woman from the inner north of Melbourne, Australia joins the So...Podcast to talk about her community connection project that (literally) walks the talk.Brunswick Sole Mates, was an idea

Take off your clothes, look at your skin

Aug 16th, 2020 20m 36s

John Mckenna talks to Dr Edward Upjohn MB.BS MMed FACD FACMS, a dermatologist in Melbourne, Australia, about different types of skin cancers and treatments.Dr Edward Upjohn talks about the three different types of skin cancers and how to poten

Reclaim, Reform, Restore

Jul 16th, 2020 12m 31s

When you walk past hard rubbish on the street, what do you see?Meg Renou doesn't just see a pile of junk, she sees inspiration. She describes herself as a bowerbird due to her love of collecting discarded objects and giving them a new and dif

It's Okay to Talk About Suicide

Jul 9th, 2020 23m 55s

This episode covers a sensitive topic. Before you listen please be aware that we are discussing suicide, the impact of suicide and resources surrounding suicide prevention. John talks with Shayne Connell, the CEO of LivingWorks. LivingWorks

Wake up Aged Care Providers: Technology can help

Jun 23rd, 2020 18m 54s

How can technology keep your loved ones in Aged Care safer and more connected?John O'Callaghan from Acsess Health talks about his game-changing products in Aged Care support.Acsess Health was founded in 2004 and are innovative leaders in us

Good & bad experiences for International Students in Australia

Jun 10th, 2020 20m 27s

During the conversation with Philip Liu, who is a strong advocate for international students, we covered the following areas•Conscious and unconscious racist perceptions towards people of Asian descent.•Be yourself, don't change because of

Collective messages from Disability Service Providers across Australia

May 10th, 2020 22m 40s

"I'm not shaking your hand mate, I don't care who you are."This is one of the quotes that stuck in my mind, as I was producing this episode you are about to experience.It's a response from a client who was interacting with a Chief Executive

Disability, it's a joke, for some

Apr 23rd, 2020 28m 45s

Tim Ferguson and I had a funny chat, to be expected, as he is a professional comedian.(From his website cheekymonkeycomedy.com) Tim is a widely acclaimed comedian, writer and producer. He's toured the world performing stand-up and musical com

Supporting those who are missing out on podcasts

Apr 16th, 2020 18m 26s

Christina Canters from Podcast Services Australia and producer and host of 'Stand Out Get Noticed' podcast joined me to talk about "Supporting those who are missing out on podcasts" Christina's insights into understanding the podcast audience

Social isolation is not new to us

Apr 3rd, 2020 28m 16s

In the spirit of staying connected during these times, the following 12 recordings are from individuals who live with disabilities such as, Schizoaffective disorder, Deaf Blindness, Cerebral palsy, Oculocutaneous Albinism, physical and intellec

Coronavirus Disability Peer Support Podcast - Invitation

Mar 26th, 2020 6m 23s

Hi I’m John Mckenna from Melbourne Australia, host & producer of So…Podcast, also an individual who has a physical disability.I feel very passionate that peer support amongst people with disabilities is crucial right now, as information sharing

Lawyer lottery, will yours take a risk?

Mar 11th, 2020 23m 17s

Samantha Lovrich is the co-founder of Legal Tech Helper and legal operations coach.In this interview we talk about the importance of lawyers stepping into the shoes of their clients, the role of open questions and deep listening to build empa

He sells words because his words sell

Mar 10th, 2020 20m 53s

Tom Valcanis is a copywriter and journalist that sells words.He writes words for businesses, not-for-profit, and more so they can get their point across as effectively as possible.In this intriguing interview we touch on how making writing si